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You discover a new organism that contains enzyme that can break down beta(1,4) glycosidic linkages, but not alpha(1,4) glycosidic linkages. What should you feed your organism?

O cellulose
O starch
O cellulose and starch
O neither cellulose nor starch

1 Answer

4 votes

Final answer:

Feed the organism cellulose, as it can break down beta(1,4) glycosidic linkages found in cellulose but not the alpha linkages in starch.

Step-by-step explanation:

The enzyme described in the question can break down beta(1,4) glycosidic linkages, which are found in cellulose. This type of linkage is absent in starch, which instead contains alpha(1,4) and alpha(1,6) glycosidic linkages. Therefore, the organism should be fed cellulose, as starch cannot be digested due to the lack of necessary enzymes to break its alpha glycosidic bonds.

Herbivores, like cows and termites, can digest cellulose because they have microorganisms in their digestive systems that produce the enzyme cellulase, which hydrolyzes these beta linkages.

Therefore, if you discover an organism that can break down beta(1,4) glycosidic linkages, you should feed it cellulose.

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