Deoxymannose (diːɒksɪˈmænoʊs) is a monosaccharide that is a modified form of mannose, a sugar molecule. The spelling of the word deoxymannose is pronounced as di-oks-ee-man-ohs, where the stress is on the second syllable. In IPA phonetic transcription, ‘diː’ indicates the long ‘ee’ sound, ‘ɒ’ denotes the short ‘o’ sound, ‘ksɪ’ means ‘ks’ representing the consonant sounds, and ‘noʊs’ indicates the long ‘ohs’ sound. Deoxymannose plays a vital role in the biosynthesis of glycoconjugates, which are essential for cell-to-cell communication in living organisms.
Deoxymannose is a term used in biochemistry to describe a specific monosaccharide, or simple sugar, that is a variant of the sugar mannose. It is often abbreviated as dMan or dm, with the "d" standing for dextrorotatory, or right-handed in terms of its optical rotation. Deoxymannose is a six-carbon sugar closely related to glucose and fructose.
In terms of its chemical structure, deoxymannose has the same basic ring structure as other sugars, consisting of a six-membered ring of carbon atoms. It also contains an alcohol group (-OH) on each carbon atom, except for one carbon, where the hydroxyl group is replaced by a hydrogen atom. This replacement of a hydroxyl group with a hydrogen atom gives deoxymannose its name, as it lacks the oxygen atom typically found in mannose.
Deoxymannose can be found naturally in certain bacteria and other microorganisms. It is an important component of the cell wall in some bacteria, where it can play a role in cell adhesion or in determining the antigenic properties of the organism. In addition, deoxymannose derivatives have been utilized in chemical synthesis and can find applications in the development of pharmaceuticals and other biologically active compounds.
Overall, deoxymannose is a specific type of sugar that is related to mannose, with a slightly modified structure due to the absence of an oxygen atom. Its presence in various biological systems and its potential applications make it a subject of scientific interest in the fields of biochemistry and microbiology.
The word "Deoxymannose" is derived from combining two elements: "deoxy-" and "mannose".
The prefix "deoxy-" is derived from the Ancient Greek word "deuxis", which means "lacking" or "absence". In scientific terminology, "deoxy-" is used to indicate the absence or removal of an oxygen atom in a molecule.
"Mannose", on the other hand, is a type of sugar or monosaccharide that is naturally found in various fruits, plants, and microorganisms. The term "mannose" is derived from the German word "Mannit", which refers to a sugar extracted from the sap of the European ash tree.
Therefore, when combined, "Deoxymannose" refers to a molecule similar to mannose but lacking an oxygen atom.