A galactoside is a
glycoside containing
galactose. The H of the OH group on carbon-1 of
galactose is replaced by an organic moiety.
Depending on whether the glycosidic bond lies "above" or "below" the plane of the galactose molecule, galactosides are classified as α-galactosides or β-galactosides.
A β-galactoside is a type of galactoside in which the
glycosidic bond lies above the plane of the
galactose residue. The most commonly recognized and used β-galactoside in biochemistry is
lactose
Lactose is a disaccharide sugar synthesized by galactose and glucose subunits and has the molecular formula C12H22O11. Lactose makes up around 2–8% of milk (by mass). The name comes from ' (gen. '), the Latin word for milk, plus the suffix '' - ...
. However, other chemicals, such as
ONPG, are known, but these are typically synthesized for biochemical assays.
Galactosides play significant roles in metabolic processes of many organisms and are hydrolyzed by a class of enzymes called galactosidases and are classified according to what type of glycosidic linkage on the galactoside they will break.
For example, enzymes that hydrolyze the β-galactoside glycosidic bond are called
β-galactosidases, while those that hydrolyze the α-galactoside glycosidic bond are known as
α-galactosidases.
References
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