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Chapter 7: Problem 21

What properties of hyaluronate, chondroitin sulfate, and keratan sulfate make them ideal components of cartilage?

Short Answer

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Hyaluronate, chondroitin sulfate, and keratan sulfate are ideal components of cartilage due to their unique properties. Hyaluronate provides resistance to compression and reacts flexibly to pressure changes due to its high viscoelasticity and water retention ability. Chondroitin sulfate contributes to the tensile strength of cartilage, resists stretching, and helps retain water, providing resilience and resistance to compression. Keratan sulfate is crucial for maintaining hydration and providing resistance to compression, and it is also important for maintaining transparency in corneas and volume in cartilage.

Step by step solution

01

Explain Hyaluronate

Hyaluronate is a glycosaminoglycan that forms part of the extracellular matrix in various tissues, including cartilage. It possesses unique properties such as high viscoelasticity and water retention ability which make it an ideal component of cartilage. The high viscosity of hyaluronate provides resistance to compression, important for cartilage that serves as a cushion in joints. The ability to absorb water allows it to react flexibly to pressure changes.
02

Explain Chondroitin Sulfate

Chondroitin sulfate is a sulfated glycosaminoglycan, and is one of the building blocks of cartilage. It contributes to the tensile strength of cartilage, resisting stretching and enabling cartilage to withstand great pressure. Chondroitin sulfate also helps retain water, providing cartilage with resilience and resistance to compression.
03

Explain Keratan Sulfate

Keratan sulfate is another sulfated glycosaminoglycan found in cartilage. It interacts with specific proteins to form proteoglycans, a major component of the extracellular matrix in cartilage. Like hyaluronate and chondroitin sulfate, keratan sulfate is involved in maintaining hydration and providing resistance to compression. Furthermore, it's crucial for maintaining transparency in corneas and volume in cartilage.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

(Integrates with Chapters 5 and 6 .) Human hemoglobin can react with sugars in the blood (usually glucose) to form covalent adducts. The \(a\) -amino groups of N-terminal valine in the Hb \(\beta\) -subunits react with the \(C-1\) (aldehyde) carbons of monosaccharides to form aldimine adducts, which rearrange to form very stable ketoamine products. Quantitation of this "glycated hemoglobin" is important clinically, especially for diabetic individuals. Suggest at least three methods by which glycated Hb could be separated from normal Hb and quantitated.

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Give the systematic name for stachyose.

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