BIOC 405 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Miscarriage, Schiff Base, Blood Sugar
Document Summary
Glycogen is a polymer of glucose; (cid:498)starch for animals and fungi(cid:499) Fat isn"t soluble in water, which presents challenges for. It has a protein at its core and is surrounded by branches of glucose chains. Glycogen is insoluble, so it allows the cell to store a lot of glucose without affecting its osmotic pressure too dramatically. synthesis and breakdown, which is very slow. Because glycogen is packaged so efficiently in granules, it can be broken down and made very rapidly. The body can use glycogen to meet acute energy needs, such as if blood sugar is too low, or if the muscles need glucose to contract. Glycogen is found in liver cells and many other tissues in the body, including the brain and the retina. In humans, most of it is stored in the liver and in skeletal muscle. It provides about 10% of the wet weight of liver and 1-2% of the wet weight of skeletal muscle.
