SHEET /vs/insulin-vs-glucagon · COMPARISON
Insulin vs Glucagon: what is the difference?
How they differ
These are the two halves of blood sugar control and they are released by neighbouring cells in the same organ. Insulin comes from the beta cells of the pancreas when blood glucose rises, and it tells muscle, fat and liver to take glucose out of the blood and store it. Glucagon comes from the alpha cells when glucose falls, and it tells the liver to break glycogen back down and release it. Both are peptide hormones rather than small molecules, which is why neither survives the stomach and both are injected rather than swallowed. Insulin is much the larger of the two, 51 amino acids in two chains against glucagon's single chain of 29.
Side by side
| Insulin | Glucagon | |
|---|---|---|
| Formula | C257H383N65O77S6 | C153H225N43O49S |
| Molecular weight | 5,808 g/mol | 3,482.7 g/mol |
| Family | Peptides | Peptides |
| Everyday group | Body | Body |
| Functional groups | Alcohols, Carboxylic Acids, Amines, Aromatics, Amides, Phenols | Alcohols, Carboxylic Acids, Amines, Aromatics, Amides, Phenols |
| CAS number | 11061-68-0 | not recorded |
| PubChem CID | 118984375 | 16186314 |
Structural similarity 0.43 of 1, computed as a Morgan fingerprint Tanimoto coefficient. It measures shape, not effect.
Common questions
- What is the difference between Insulin and Glucagon?
- These are the two halves of blood sugar control and they are released by neighbouring cells in the same organ. Insulin comes from the beta cells of the pancreas when blood glucose rises, and it tells muscle, fat and liver to take glucose out of the blood and store it. Glucagon comes from the alpha cells when glucose falls, and it tells the liver to break glycogen back down and release it.
- Is Insulin bigger than Glucagon?
- Insulin is the heavier molecule, 5,808 g/mol against 3,482.7 g/mol for Glucagon. Insulin is C257H383N65O77S6 and Glucagon is C153H225N43O49S.