The Student Room Group

HELP Biological Molecules: Protein question

'A bacterial cell contains 1050 different proteins but only one sort of polysaccharide. Explain why'
The 'sort' of polysaccharide is proteins. There can be one polysaccharide (protein) in a bacterial cell, but 1000+ types due to the fact protein structure varies and is governed by DNA bases ( shown in transcription and translation).
Thus: the 1 polysaccharide = protein
The 1000+ proteins = due to the variation in primary structure of DNA and so the variation in tertiary structure.

Does this make sense?
Reply 2
Original post by sportyegg
The 'sort' of polysaccharide is proteins. There can be one polysaccharide (protein) in a bacterial cell, but 1000+ types due to the fact protein structure varies and is governed by DNA bases ( shown in transcription and translation).
Thus: the 1 polysaccharide = protein
The 1000+ proteins = due to the variation in primary structure of DNA and so the variation in tertiary structure.

Does this make sense?


Thanks for replying!
Yeah sort of, so there is only one type of polysaccharide but many different forms of that one type?
Original post by Opar1000
Thanks for replying!
Yeah sort of, so there is only one type of polysaccharide but many different forms of that one type?


Yep, so the one type of polysaccharide is protein as a whole, but due to varying dna base sequences, there can be many sorts of proteins
Reply 4
Original post by sportyegg
Yep, so the one type of polysaccharide is protein as a whole, but due to varying dna base sequences, there can be many sorts of proteins


Is that so? Aren't you mixing 'polymer' up with 'polysaccharide'? Polysaccharides are sugars iirc
Original post by Gabzinc
Is that so? Aren't you mixing 'polymer' up with 'polysaccharide'? Polysaccharides are sugars iirc


Yeah I did notice that, and meant to correct OP but you beat me to it ha.
I’m assuming OP did mean polymer
Reply 6
Original post by sportyegg
Yeah I did notice that, and meant to correct OP but you beat me to it ha.
I’m assuming OP did mean polymer


oh ok cool just wanted to make sure i wasn't missing something :smile:
Well the bacteria DNA can code for all sorts of proteins as Im sure you know but it cannot code for polysaccharides, so I assume the only kind it means is the ribose in the DNA itself.

There can only be one kind as it is kind of a necessity for the DNA to work.

Although this isn’t strictly true either as their are other polysaccharides involved within a bacterial cell.
(edited 5 years ago)
Reply 8
Surely the question (if it does mean “only one type of polyMER” is found in bacterial cells) is wrong. There are polypeptides, but bacterial cells also have other polymers - the bacterial chromosome and plasmids contain DNA (a polynucleotide) and RNA will be present also, again a polynucleotide. So, for the question to state that there is only one kind of polymer in bacterial cells is not true.

The cell wall in bacteria is made of peptidoglycan, which is not purely a sugar molecule, but does certainly contain polysaccharide molecules. So, if the OP was in fact correct in their wording of the question (which if they’re not, the question is stating something false), this is my best guess as to what a possible answer could be.
Reply 9
Yeah the question actually says polysaccharide, its not a past paper question just a question given by my teacher, unless they've made a typo? Or is there anyway that this question could be answered relating to polysaccharides?
Reply 10
Original post by jsg9
Surely the question (if it does mean “only one type of polyMER” is found in bacterial cells) is wrong. There are polypeptides, but bacterial cells also have other polymers - the bacterial chromosome and plasmids contain DNA (a polynucleotide) and RNA will be present also, again a polynucleotide. So, for the question to state that there is only one kind of polymer in bacterial cells is not true.

The cell wall in bacteria is made of peptidoglycan, which is not purely a sugar molecule, but does certainly contain polysaccharide molecules. So, if the OP was in fact correct in their wording of the question (which if they’re not, the question is stating something false), this is my best guess as to what a possible answer could be.


Is there any way that could be linked back to the number of different proteins? or explained how there is only one polysaccharide?
Original post by Opar1000
Yeah the question actually says polysaccharide, its not a past paper question just a question given by my teacher, unless they've made a typo? Or is there anyway that this question could be answered relating to polysaccharides?


I'm pretty certain polysaccharide is a mistake.

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