How is Hyaluronic Acid Different from Other Glycosaminoglycans of the Extracellular

Question

How is hyaluronic acid different from other glycosaminoglycans of the extracellular matrix?
A) It lacks sulfate groups.
B) It is generally not covalently linked to proteins.
C) It is not assembled in the Golgi apparatus.
D) It can be several megadaltons in mass.
E) All of the above.

Accepted Answer

Being the simplest of the glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), hyaluronan chains can be remarkably long. Not typical of GAGs, it contains no sulfated sugars, is not generally linked to proteins covalently, and is synthesized and spun out directly from the cell surface by a transmembrane enzyme.