Glycoproteins and glycolipids are proteins and lipids with carbohydrate chain attached to it. They are an important component of the cell membrane with many roles:
stabilizing membrane structure-because of their ability to bind water molecules via hydrogen bonds
cell signaling-they are often membrane receptors for the hormones and neurotrasmitters
cell attachment (adhesion)-for the connection between cells
cell recognition-they can act as antigens on the cell surface (immune role)
