Carbohydrates, or saccharides as they are also known ,represent a large class of biological molecules, which serve a variety of roles

in living organisms. The name carbohydrates was given to this class of molecules when chemists only knew the simple stoichiometry of saccharides. During this time they were simply considered to be hydrated carbons . Most carbohydrates contain this monomer (CH20)n or can be derived from substances that do. Carbohydrates or saccharides may be split into three categories: monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides.

Monosaccharides
Monosaccharides, the simplest monomeric sugars, are the building blocks for all of the other saccharide classifications. It is the linking which occurs between these monomers which leads to the more complex structures of oligosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides. The smallest molecules which are considered to be monosaccharides are a part of the triose class and usually contain three carbon atoms (n=3). The two subdivisions of trioses are the aldoses and ketoses. There are only two trioses glyceraldehyde and dihydroxyacetone. Glyceraldehyde is a aldehyde which makes it an aldose and dihydroxyacetone is a ketone which makes it an ketose. These two molecules are tautomers ( structural isomeres differing in the location of their hydrogens and double bonds.) They may interconvert via an enediol intermediate. Function of Monosaccharides: 1)Generation of energy . 2)Energy Storage 3) Biological structural components.

(Ex. Cellulose)

Oligosaccharides
Oligosaccharides are saccharide molecules which are composed of only a few monomer units. The simplest form of oligosaccharides involves the disaccharides, which involve only two residues. Saccharides such as sucrose, lactose, and trehalose,serve as soluble energy stores in plants and animals. Disaccharides

such as maltose and cellobiose can be regarded primarily as intermediate products in the degradation of longer polysaccharides. Function of Oligosaccharides 1)Soluble Energy Stores in plants and animals. 2)Intermediate products in the degradation of long polysaccharides. 3) Aids in recognition of molecules.

Polysaccharides
Polysaccharides are long polymers of monosaccharides. Polysaccharides may be composed of many types of sugar monomers. Polysaccharides serve a variety of functions including the storing of sugar molecules in plants and in animals. Others, like cellulose, chitin, are involved in the cell walls of bacteria and serve to provide structural support. Polysaccharides are analogous to proteins in that they also have distinguishable types of structures (primary, secondary structures.) If a polysaccharide is composed of only one kind of monomer residue (B-D-glucose for cellulose); it is referred to as a homopolysaccharide. If they are composed of two or more they are referred to as heteropolysaccharides. However even the most complex of polysaccharide structures are relatively simple when comparing them to that of proteins. For the most part no more than two different types of residues are usually involved. Polysaccharides are different than proteins in that they have random lengths. The function of polysaccharides is directly related to their structure. Depending on the specific role of a polysaccharide, it may or may not require a complicated three dimensional shape which is most often involved when observing the structure of proteins. For example, polysaccharides such as starch are simply long chains because their function only requires that they store energy. On the other hand, molecules such as the oligosaccharides which may be found on the surface of certain glycoproteins, serve the role of identifying cells or molecules with complex three dimensional structures because they must interact with other molecules and convey information.

Function of Polysaccharides 1)Store sugars in plants and animals. 2) Structural material in walls of plants.

How Do These Things Which We Have Discussed Relate Back To Our Previous Material?

The fact that carbohydrates are readily found on the surface of moleucles(glycoproteins), which play a major role in our immunesystem, helps us to better appreciate the importance of carbohydrates and the purpose they serve. For instance if you refer back to the interaction which occurs between proteins and various macromolecules in our immunesystem such that of the human CD4 recptor site on the surface of T-lymphocytes that is all due to the folding of carbohydrates(glycosylation). And if it wasn't for the complex tertiary and quaternary structures which oligosaccharides and polysaccharides can form they would not be able to interact with the protein molecules of the immune system.