Once sugars enter the cell, they have several potential pathways for use and storage. Here are the provided options evaluated:
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They can be rearranged and used to form proteins that will be enzymes for the cell.
- This statement is not accurate. While sugars (specifically certain sugars and intermediates in carbohydrate metabolism) can be involved in some protein glycosylation processes, proteins themselves are formed from amino acids, not sugars.
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They can be rearranged into fats and stored for later use.
- This is a valid pathway. Sugars can undergo a process called de novo lipogenesis, where excess glucose is converted into fatty acids and then stored as fat in adipose tissues.
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They can be rearranged and stored as glycogen for later use.
- This statement is also correct. Glucose can be polymerized to form glycogen, which serves as a readily accessible energy reserve, primarily in liver and muscle cells.
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They can be rearranged and used to form membranes in cells.
- This option is somewhat misleading. While certain sugars can contribute to the formation of glycoproteins and glycolipids that are part of the membrane, sugars themselves do not directly form membranes.
Considering all of these points, the most accurate responses regarding what can happen to sugars once they enter the cell would be:
- They can be rearranged into fats and stored for later use.
- They can be rearranged and stored as glycogen for later use.
Among these, the option "They can be rearranged and stored as glycogen for later use." is typically a primary fate of glucose in the cell under normal physiological conditions.