1-6 glycosidic bond
An α-1,6-glycosidic bond is a covalent bond formed between the -OH group on carbon 1 of one sugar and the -OH group on carbon 6 of another sugar. This linkage causes branching within the polyscaccharide [1]. Formation of a glycosidic bond is a condensation reaction as a molecule of water is released, thus the bond can be broken by a molecule of water in a hydrolysis reaction [2]. α-1,6-glycosidic bonds can be found in amylopectin and glycogen which are both storage molecules composed of α-glucose . Whilst most of the glucose units in amylopectin and glycogen are linked by α-1,4- glycosidic bonds, the branches are formed by α-1,6 glycosidic bonds, which occur once every ten units in glycogen and once every thirty in amylopectin, thus, glycogen is more extensively branched [3]
References
- ↑ Stryer, L. (1988) Biochemistry. 3rd edn. New York: W. H. Freeman. 341-342
- ↑ Bruce, A, Johnson, A, Lewis, J, Raff, M, Roberts, K and Walter, P. (2008). Molecular Biology of the Cell. 5th ed. New York: Garland Science. 56-57
- ↑ Stryer, L. (1988) Biochemistry. 3rd edn. New York: W. H. Freeman. 341-342