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Glycosaminoglycan (GAG)

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Encyclopedia of Biophysics

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Synonyms

GAGs; Mucopolysaccharides; Polysaccharides

Definition

The glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) are linear polysaccharides made up of a disaccharide repeat unit, in which one of the monosaccharides is a hexosamine and the other is either a hexose (in keratan sulfate only) or an uronic acid. Most GAGs exist as the O-linked glycan part of protein glycoconjugates known as proteoglycans and carry sulfate substituents, making them the most acidic class of biological macromolecules. The exception is the GAG hyaluronan (HA), which is not attached to a protein core and is not sulfated.

GAGs are structural components in the extracellular matrix throughout the animal kingdom. Some glycosaminoglycans, through specific interactions with small extracellular proteins, are essential for embryonic development and play roles in the response of the organism to infection and injury. Hyaluronan has a very high molecular weight, and its rheological properties are important to its role in the extracellular...

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References

  • Caterson B, Melrose J (2018) Keratan sulfate, a complex glycosaminoglycan with unique functional capability. Glycobiology 28:182–206

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Glycosciences Laboratory, Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK

    Barbara Mulloy

Authors
  1. Barbara Mulloy
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Correspondence to Barbara Mulloy .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University Leicester MRC Centre, Leicester, United Kingdom

    Gordon Roberts

  2. Dept Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom

    Anthony Watts

Section Editor information

  1. School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Birkbeck College, University of London, London, UK

    Elizabeth Hounsell

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© 2018 European Biophysical Societies' Association (EBSA)

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Mulloy, B. (2018). Glycosaminoglycan (GAG). In: Roberts, G., Watts, A. (eds) Encyclopedia of Biophysics. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35943-9_75-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-35943-9_75-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-35943-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-35943-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Biomedicine and Life SciencesReference Module Biomedical and Life Sciences

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