Peptide - Balance Hormone Center

What is a peptide?

Peptides are short chains of amino acids linked by peptide bonds. Typically, peptides contain less than 50 amino acids. Anything longer is considered a protein.

Peptides serve many important biological functions. For example:

• Hormones like insulin and oxytocin are peptides that help regulate metabolism, reproduction, sleep, mood, and more
• Neurotransmitters like endorphins are peptide hormones that regulate signaling between neurons
• The peptide bonds linking amino acids provide structure and facilitate chemical reactions for proteins

How are peptides formed?

Peptides form when amino acids link together via peptide bonds. This reaction is called translation and occurs on ribosomes. The order of amino acids is determined by the sequence of nucleotide bases in mRNA.

Some key points about peptide formation:

• Amino acids link when the carboxyl group of one reacts with the amino group of another
• This reaction releases a water molecule and forms a peptide bond
• The sequence encodes important information about a peptide's structure and function

What role do peptides play in biology?

In addition to forming larger proteins, peptides play many critical roles:

• Cell signaling - peptides like cytokines help cells communicate
• Immune defense - antimicrobial peptides kill invading pathogens
• Toxins - venoms contain peptides that immobilize prey or deter predators
• Bioactivities - some peptides show anti-inflammatory, antiviral, or antioxidant effects

As you can see, peptides have an immense impact on health and disease. Scientists actively study them to understand biology and develop therapeutic peptides to treat disease.