Table 1. Structural parameters of cellular glycogen β-particle.
| Description | Symbol | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Branching degree | r | 2 |
| Chain length (glucosyl residues) | gc | 13 |
| Tiers | t0 | 12 |
| Tier length (nm) | Lt | 1.9 |
| Total glucosyl residues | GT,0 | 53,000 |
Glycogen β-particles have a spherical shape and a molecular weight of ∼107 Da. The mature glycogen molecule is spherical, with a total radius of ∼23 nm. It is organized in 12 concentric tiers, all having the same length of 1.9 nm. The inner tiers contain branched type B-chains, whereas nonbranched type A-chains are in the outermost tier. An individual chain has a mean length of 13 glucose residues. The branching of B-chains is uniformly distributed and every B-chain has two branches.