Glycosaminoglycan

Glycosaminoglycans^[1] (GAGs) or mucopolysaccharides^[2] are long, linear polysaccharides consisting of repeating disaccharide units (i.e. two-sugar units). The repeating two-sugar unit consists of a uronic sugar and an amino sugar, except in the case of the sulfated glycosaminoglycan keratan, where, in place of the uronic sugar there is a galactose unit.^[3] GAGs are found in vertebrates, invertebrates and bacteria.^[4] Because GAGs are highly polar molecules and attract water; the body uses them as lubricants or shock absorbers.

Mucopolysaccharidoses are a group of metabolic disorders in which abnormal accumulations of glycosaminoglycans occur due to enzyme deficiencies.

^ "glycosaminoglycan" at Dorland's Medical Dictionary
^ "mucopolysaccharide" at Dorland's Medical Dictionary
^ Esko, Jeffrey D; Kimata, Koji; Lindahl, Ulf (2009). "Chapter 16: Proteoglycans and Sulfated Glycosaminoglycans". Essentials of Glycobiology. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press. ISBN 978-0879695590.
^ DeAngelis, Paul L. (2002-11-01). "Evolution of glycosaminoglycans and their glycosyltransferases: Implications for the extracellular matrices of animals and the capsules of pathogenic bacteria". The Anatomical Record. 268 (3): 317–326. doi:10.1002/ar.10163. ISSN 0003-276X. PMID 12382327. S2CID 38827411.

[1] "glycosaminoglycan" at Dorland's Medical Dictionary

[2] "mucopolysaccharide" at Dorland's Medical Dictionary

[3] Esko, Jeffrey D; Kimata, Koji; Lindahl, Ulf (2009). "Chapter 16: Proteoglycans and Sulfated Glycosaminoglycans". Essentials of Glycobiology. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press. ISBN 978-0879695590.

[4] DeAngelis, Paul L. (2002-11-01). "Evolution of glycosaminoglycans and their glycosyltransferases: Implications for the extracellular matrices of animals and the capsules of pathogenic bacteria". The Anatomical Record. 268 (3): 317–326. doi:10.1002/ar.10163. ISSN 0003-276X. PMID 12382327. S2CID 38827411.

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