A seven-carbon sugar containing an aldehyde group, such as mannoheptose or glucoheptose, less common than five- or six-carbon sugars.
From aldo- (indicating an aldehyde group) plus heptose (from Greek hepta, meaning 'seven,' plus the sugar suffix -ose). Formed in early 20th-century biochemistry.
While glucose (six carbons) and ribose (five carbons) are everywhere in biology, aldoheptoses are rare in nature—but when they show up in bacterial cell walls and unusual antibiotics, they're often the key to why those molecules are so medically powerful or toxic.
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