Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!marque!carroll1!acct002 From: acct002@carroll1.UUCP (SOWMYA RAMACHANDRA) Newsgroups: sci.bio Subject: glycocalyx Message-ID: <639@carroll1.UUCP> Date: 27 Sep 89 02:23:20 GMT Reply-To: acct002@carroll1.cc.edu Organization: Carroll College-Waukesha, WI Lines: 20 I just recently found out the existence of a glycocalyx. The glycocalyx is the outer component of the cell surface. The inner component is the cell membrane. Glycocalyces vary from cell to cell in more obvious ways than do the cell membranes or inner components. However, they always contain sugars, usually in polymer form and are often attached to strongly attached to highly acidic groups. These sugars are always associated with other substances which may be proteins, lipids, lignins or phosphates. The term glycocalyx, from the Greek for "sweet husk", refers to this sugar coating of cells. In some cases like the human red blood cells, the glycocalyx is very thin and tenuous and can't be seen easily even with a powerful electron microscope. The red cell glycocalyx includes an interesting acidic sugar, sialic acid and amino sugars in polymer form. This is all the information I could gather about the glycocalyx from our library. I would like to know if the glycocalyx has anything to do with the movement of ions into the cell. I would also appreciate any more information about the glycocalyx. Thank you in advance for your help.