Chrysolaminarin

Chrysolaminarin
Other names Chrysolaminaran; Leucosin
Identifiers
CAS number	9013-94-9
Properties
Molecular formula	variable
Molar mass	variable
Melting point	273 °C[1]
Solubility in water	Soluble
Y (verify) (what is: Y/N?) Except where noted otherwise, data are given for materials in their standard state (at 25 °C, 100 kPa)
Infobox references

Chrysolaminarin is a linear polymer of β(1→3) and β(1→6) linked glucose units in a ratio of 11:1.^[1][2] It used to be known as leucosin. Chrysolaminarin is arguably one of the most common biopolymers in the world with cellulose being the other.

Function

Chrysolaminarin is a storage polysaccharide typically found in photosynthetic heterokonts. It is used as a carbohydrate food reserve by phytoplankton such as Bacillariophyta (similar to the use of laminarin by brown algae).^[3]

Chrysolaminarin is stored inside the cells of these organisms dissolved in water and encapsuled in vacuoles whose refractive index increases with chrysolaminarin content. In addition, heterokont algae use oil as a storage compound. Besides energy reserve, oil helps the algae to control their buoyancy.^[4]

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Beattie et al.; Hirst, EL; Percival, E (1961). "Studies on the metabolism of the Chrysophyceae. Comparative structural investigations on leucosin (chrysolaminarin) separated from diatoms and laminarin from the brown algae". Biochem J. 79 (3): 531–537. PMC 1205682. PMID 13688276. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=1205682. 
2. ^ Basic definition of chrysolaminarin, Susquehanna University
3. ^ Biological use of chrysolaminarin, California State University, Stanislaus
4. ^ Putz; Gross (2004). "Valuable products from biotechnology of microalgae". Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology 65 (6): 635–48. doi:10.1007/s00253-004-1647-x. PMID 15300417. http://www.springerlink.com/content/gbbkaptetj1n76h3/fulltext.html.