Question

What is the role of glygogenin at the molecular level?

Answer 1

Answer:

It is involves in the Glycogen synthesis. The first step is the attachment of a Glucose residue to the -OH group on Tyr-194 of Glycogenin.

It takesplace in the presence of  enzyme Tyrosine glucosyl transferase. Glycogenin then autocatalytically extends the glucan chain by up to 7 residues long (also donated by UDPG).

Glycogen synthase can then attach glucose residues to this glycogen “primer”. Each molecule of glycogen is associated with one molecule each of glycogenin and glycogen synthase.