Peptides are chains of amino acids linked by a peptide bond, classified as polymers. They perform various functions in the body, and longer chains become proteins. The distinction between peptides and proteins is based on length, with proteins being more complex.
Peptides are compounds that are formed by linking one or more amino acids with a covalent bond. These compounds are classified as polymers because they typically bond together in long chains. All animals on Earth have them in their bodies and, in a sense, they are one of the building blocks of life. When a chain becomes particularly long, it turns into a protein. Peptides and proteins represent a vast world of possibilities, and many molecular biologists spend years researching the functions of individual ones to learn more about how the body works.
When it comes to peptides, we tend to throw around a lot of scientific terminology and it can help to know what the various terms mean. A covalent bond is a type of chemical bond that occurs when atoms share electrons. The specific type of covalent bond formed in these compounds is known as a peptide bond or amide bond and is formed when the carboxy group of one amino acid bonds with another. Carboxyl groups are groups of carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen molecules, in case you’re curious.
The classification of these compounds as polymers is sometimes confusing to people unfamiliar with this use of the term. While many people mean “plastic” when they use this word, in chemistry, a polymer is a kind of repeating chain connected with covalent bonds. Polymers can get extremely complex, as one might imagine.
A peptide can perform a wide variety of functions in the body, depending on which amino acids are involved. Some may regulate hormones, for example, while others may have an antibiotic function. The body is also equipped to break down and reuse these compounds; if a person eats meat, for example, enzymes in their intestines break down the protein into its amide linkages to create an assortment of peptides that can be digested or excreted, depending on the body’s needs.
The line between a peptide and a protein is somewhat fluid. Proteins are much more complex, because they are much longer and most proteins are folded into complex structures to accommodate all of their amino acids. As a general rule, if more than 50 amino acids are involved, the compound is a protein, while shorter chains are considered peptides.
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