PROTEOGLYCAN
proteoglycan: translation
A high molecular weight complex of protein and polysaccharide, characteristic of structural tissues of vertebrates, such as bone and cartilage, but also present on cell surfaces. Important in determining viscoelastic properties of joints and other structures subject to mechanical deformation. Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), the polysaccharide units in proteoglycans, are polymers of acidic disaccharides containing derivatives of the amino sugars glucosamine or galactosamine.