The number of 'ends' in a glycogen molecule would be

Options

A. Equal to the number of branches plus one
B. Equal to the number of branch points
C. One
D. Two, one on the left side and another on the right side

Explanation

To determine the number of 'ends' in a glycogen molecule, we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Understand the Structure of Glycogen
Glycogen is a multi-branched polysaccharide composed of glucose units. It is often referred to as "animal starch" due to its structural similarity to starch.

### Step 2: Identify the Linkage Patterns
Glycogen has two main types of linkages:
- **Alpha 1,4 linkages**: These are found in the straight chains of glucose units.
- **Alpha 1,6 linkages**: These are found at the branching points.

### Step 3: Count the Branch Points
Each branch in the glycogen molecule introduces a new end. Therefore, the number of ends in glycogen can be calculated based on the number of branches.

### Step 4: Calculate the Total Number of Ends
The total number of ends in a glycogen molecule can be expressed as:
- **Number of non-reducing ends = Number of branches + 1** (the +1 accounts for the main chain end).

### Step 5: Conclusion
Thus, the number of 'ends' in a glycogen molecule is equal to the number of branches plus one.

### Final Answer
The number of 'ends' in a glycogen molecule would be equal to the number of branches plus one.

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