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Essay of 2 pages for the course Unit 13 - Biochemistry and Biochemical Techniques at PEARSON (D1)
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How is the structure of glycogen related to its function?Glycogen is a polysaccharide, which acts as a storage form in animals and human1.Glycogen is a multi-
branched polysaccharide that serves as a form of energy storage in animals and fungi. In humans, glycogen is made
and stored primarily in the cells of the liver and the muscles, and functions as the secondary long-term energy
storage (with the primary energy stores being fats held in adipose tissue) 2. Structurally glycogen is similar to starch
with it having branches due to 1-4 and 1-6 glycosidic bonds being present. The reason that this structure is directly
related to its function is because the branches can be rapidly hydrolyzed to release the energy that it’s stored.
Humans use a lot of energy therefore we must have a good storage system which can be broken down to glucose
and used as energy very quickly3.
How is the structure of phospholipids related to its function?
Due to its lipid bilayer, phospholipids perform many functions. Inside the cell phospholipids are
essential as it makes up the cell membrane which helps control what enters and exits the cell.
Also due to the carrier and channel proteins that are present it allows a sufficient method in which
nutrients and ions can enter and exit the cell. One example is the movement of sodium and
chloride ions which regulate the amount of water in mucus. When a specific channel protein is
dysfunctional it results in the illness cystic fibrosis. This highlights the importance of the
phospholipid particularly as it makes up the cell membrane. The phospholipid membrane functions
to keep the cell separate from its outer environment. This membrane is semi-permeable, allowing
for only certain substances to enter or leave the cell. Much of the phospholipid membrane’s
functioning is owed to the membranes permeability and its ability to move fluently. The
arrangement of water-loving heads (hydrophilic) and water-hating (hydrophobic) tails of the lipid bi-
layer prevent such things as amino acids, carbohydrates, nucleic acids, and proteins from moving
across the membrane by diffusion. The membrane usually allows for the passive diffusion of
certain other molecules such as O2 and CO2, and small, uncharged polar molecules. Because the
phospholipids form a bi-layer (two layers), the hydrophilic and hydrophobic layers line up together
facing the same way, making the membrane barrier. The lipid bi-layer is usually held together by
non-covalent bonds, helping to prevent adjacent molecules from sticking to each other
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