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The terms glycans and polysaccharides are defined by IUPAC as synonyms meaning "compounds consisting of a large number of monosaccharides linked glycosidically".[1] However, in practice the term glycan may also be used to refer to the carbohydrate portion of a glycoconjugate, such as a glycoprotein, glycolipid, or a proteoglycan, even if the carbohydrate is only an oligosaccharide.[2] Glycans usually consist solely of O-glycosidic linkages of monosaccharides. For example, cellulose is a glycan (or, to be more specific, a glucan) composed of β-1,4-linked D-glucose, and chitin is a glycan composed of β-1,4-linked N-acetyl-D-glucosamine. Glycans can be homo- or heteropolymers of monosaccharide residues, and can be linear or branched.
- ^ "Glycans". IUPAC Gold Book - Glycans. 2009. doi:10.1351/goldbook.G02645. ISBN 978-0-9678550-9-7.
- ^ Dwek, Raymond A. (1996). "Glycobiology: Toward Understanding the Function of Sugars". Chem. Rev. 96 (2): 683–720. doi:10.1021/cr940283b. PMID 11848770.