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Peptide
Short chains of 2–50 amino acids / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Peptides are short chains of amino acids linked by peptide bonds.[1][2] A polypeptide is a longer, continuous, unbranched peptide chain.[3] Polypeptides that have a molecular mass of 10,000 Da or more are called proteins.[4] Chains of fewer than twenty amino acids are called oligopeptides, and include dipeptides, tripeptides, and tetrapeptides.
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Peptides fall under the broad chemical classes of biological polymers and oligomers, alongside nucleic acids, oligosaccharides, polysaccharides, and others.
Proteins consist of one or more polypeptides arranged in a biologically functional way, often bound to ligands such as coenzymes and cofactors, to another protein or other macromolecule such as DNA or RNA, or to complex macromolecular assemblies.[5]
Amino acids that have been incorporated into peptides are termed residues. A water molecule is released during formation of each amide bond.[6] All peptides except cyclic peptides have an N-terminal (amine group) and C-terminal (carboxyl group) residue at the end of the peptide (as shown for the tetrapeptide in the image).