Final answer:
Glycogen synthesis involves several steps and enzymes. Glucose-1-phosphate uridyl transferase activates glucose to UDP-glucose. Glycogen synthase and the branching enzyme then work to create the alpha-1,4 glycosidic linkages and branching points in glycogen, respectively.
Step-by-step explanation:
Glycogen Synthesis
The multiple steps and enzymes involved in glycogen synthesis include:
- Glucose-1-phosphate uridyl transferase (UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase) - activates glucose to UDP-glucose.
- Glycogen synthase - joins UDP-glucose to glycogen in linear chains (alpha-1,4-linkages).
- Glycogenin - provides a primer for synthesis of the glycogen molecule.
- Branching enzyme (glycosyl transferase) - remodels glycogen to add branches (alpha-1,6-linkages).
Glycogen synthase adds glucose monomers to a glycogen primer to form a linear chain of glucose residues linked by alpha-1→4 glycosidic linkages. The branching enzyme then transfers a segment of this chain to form an alpha-1→6 linkage, creating a branching point.