Acid mucopolysaccharides are described as what type of molecules?

• A. Neutral glycoproteins
• B. Ionic heteroglycans
• C. Lipids
• D. Nucleic acids

Answer: (B)

Acid mucopolysaccharides are glycosaminoglycans, long unbranched polysaccharides made of repeating disaccharide units that include a uronic acid and an amino sugar. Their acidic nature comes from carboxylate groups on the uronic acid and from sulfate groups on some sugars, giving them a strong negative charge. Because they are composed of more than one type of monosaccharide, they are heteropolysaccharides, and the presence of these charged groups makes them ionic. So the best description is ionic heteroglycans. They’re not neutral glycoproteins, lipids, or nucleic acids.