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Glite Dictionary
fucose

fucose

1 9.1
A simple sugar in plants and animals that helps cells send signals
  • noun
  • /ˈfjuːkoʊs/
  • Specialized
: fucosa
  • Fucose is a sugar that plays a key role in cell signaling, helping cells communicate with each other.

Examples

  • The fucose molecule plays a crucial role in cell signaling.

  • Can fucose levels indicate certain health conditions?

  • Scientists discovered that fucose plays a key role in immune system function.

  • Some seaweeds are rich sources of fucose, which is used in biological research.

  • The presence of fucose on cell surfaces can affect how cells communicate.

  • Researchers found that fucose is essential for the proper functioning of the immune system in animals.

  • In plants, fucose can be involved in the processes that affect growth and development.

Surface Forms

fucose singular
fucoses plural

Morphology

fucose = fucus (opaque) = fuco + ose

Although formed with the chemical suffix '-ose' (denoting a sugar), the root 'fuco' refers to Fucus (a seaweed) and the specialized name is not inferable to an average learner.

Etymology

The word fucose comes from the name of a brown seaweed, Fucus, and the chemical ending -ose meaning 'sugar', so you can think of it as a 'seaweed sugar'. That's why fucose is a sugar first found in seaweeds and now found on cell surfaces where it helps cells communicate.