NEET BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -1 INTRODUCTION. Chitin, a polymer of N-acetyl-D-glucosamine, is highly abundant in nature, since it is present in the exoskeleton of insects, in mollusca, coelenterata, nematodes, protozoa and the cell walls of certain fungi.

Detailed explanation-2: -Chitin is a long-chain polymer (a derivative of glucose) and is found in the exoskeleton of arthropods.

Detailed explanation-3: -Chitin structure and diversity in fungi. Chitin is a (1, 4)-homopolymer of N-acetylglucosamine that folds in an anti-parallel manner forming intra-chain hydrogen bonds. Chitin chains are cross-linked covalently to (1, 3)-glucan (green) to form the inner skeleton of most fungi.

Detailed explanation-4: -Chitin and chitosan are two related polysaccharides that provide important structural stability to fungal cell walls. Often embedded deeply within the cell wall structure, these molecules anchor other components at the cell surface.

Detailed explanation-5: -Chitin is the linear polymer of N-acetyl-d-glucosamine linked through a -(1, 4)-glycosidic bond and is called poly(-[1, 4]-N-acetyl-d-glucosamine) (or poly(N-acetyl-d-glucosamine)). Chitosan is the common name for poly(-[1, 4]-D-glucosamine) (also called poly(d-glucosamine)).