Oligosaccharide Oligosaccharide Post-industrial society Category="Oligosaccharides"An oligosaccharide is a Saccharide polymer containing a small number (typically three to six) of component sugars, also known as simple sugars. They are generally found either O- or N-linked to compatible amino acid side chains in proteins or to Lipid moieties.

Oligosaccharides are often found as a component of glycoproteins or glycolipids and as such are often used as chemical markers, often for cell recognition. An expample is ABO Blood type specificity. A and B blood types have two different oligosaccharide glycolipids embedded in the cell membranes of the red blood cells, AB-type blood has both, while O blood type has none.

In plants, animals, and single-cell eukaryotes

The basic structure is the same. These structures are synthesised onto Asparagine residues on nascent proteins.