MY ADOPTED CHILD, GLYCOGEN

Officially adopted December 11, 2009 by Kim Koob

Glycogen12/11/09

Kimberly A. Koob

DEVELOPMENT Multiple glucose molecules bonded and

formed a chain My baby, glycogen, a polysaccharide, was

formed

Glycogen is very active and helpful Glycogen helps keep me physically fit

GLYCOGEN’S NECESSITIES Like the two glucose molecules that make up

glycogen, it is made of hydrogen, oxygen, and carbon

Carbon

Hydrogen

Oxygen

GLYCOGEN’S BIOLOGICAL PARENTS Glycogen’s parents are the monosaccharide

subunit glucose They formed a chain and at about every 8 to 10

glucose units, glycogen branches.

GLYCOGEN’S CLIQUE Glycogen has the hydroxyl functional group (-

OH) This group is polar and attracts water molecules

THE FAMILY Glycogen is a member of the storage

polysaccharide family Some cousins are amylose and amylopectin,

forms of starchFamily

Portrait

GLYCOGEN’S FAVORITE ACTIVITIES Like the rest of her family, glycogen stores

sugar for fuel for the body when it needs it Because of her makeup, she is very good at

breaking up sugars and supplying them when really needed

When the body moves and needs fuel, glycogen is always reliable and does her job

Baby’s First Shoes!!

GLYCOGEN’S CHARACTER Glycogen likes to be in the liver and muscles

and sometimes, when I can’t find her, she’s hiding out in white blood cells and kidneys

Today (12/16/09) glycogen underwent hydrolysis for the first time! I was running and needed energy so she broke

down the glucose to give my body energy We found out sad news today that her cousin,

another glycogen, is over-produced and there is not enough insulin to limit it, so he caused the body to have diabetes

Baby’s First Hydrolysis!

WHY I WILL BE A GOOD PARENT I will use glycogen very often

because I am a runner I will appreciate glycogen’s

hard work to keep my blood sugar steady, again because I am active and need the energy Every child wants to be

appreciated! I know that glycogen will

slowly deplete if I don’t eat more and replenish it, so I will be sure to do my part and take in more sugars daily

My new baby, Glycogen

BIBLIOGRAPHY Campbell, Neil A., and Jane B. Reece. AP

Edition Biology. Seventh ed. San Francisco, CA: Pearson Education, Inc., 2005. Print.

"Glycogen." Science Daily. Web. 13 Dec. 2009. <http://www.sciencedaily.com/articles/g/glycogen.htm>.