The essential biochemical process by which excess glucose molecules are polymerized and stored in the form of glycogen, a highly branched polysaccharide, primarily within the liver and skeletal muscle tissues. This mechanism serves as the body’s principal short-term energy reserve, allowing for the rapid release of glucose into the bloodstream or for local muscle use when immediate energy demands increase. Hormones like insulin and glucagon tightly regulate this critical homeostatic process.
Origin
The term combines glycogen, the storage form of glucose, with storage, referring to the act of reserving for future use or release. Glycogen itself comes from the Greek glykys (sweet) and -gen (producer), literally meaning the producer of sugar. This fundamental concept in intermediary metabolism has been recognized since the 19th century as central to carbohydrate homeostasis.
Mechanism
The process of glycogen storage, known as glycogenesis, is powerfully activated by the hormone insulin following a meal or glucose load. Insulin stimulates the enzyme glycogen synthase, which systematically adds glucose units to the growing glycogen chain. Conversely, when blood glucose levels fall, glucagon signals the rapid breakdown of glycogen (glycogenolysis) via glycogen phosphorylase, releasing glucose-6-phosphate for energy or free glucose from the liver to maintain euglycemia.
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