Polypeptide

long, continuous, and unbranched peptide chain

A polypeptide is a string or linear chain of amino acids linked together. Amino acids are the basic building blocks of proteins.[1] A single polypeptide chain might make up the entire primary structure of a simple protein;[2] more complex proteins are formed when two or more polypeptides link together. Each protein is a polymer of amino acids.[3][4]

Tetrapeptide structural formulae N-terminus (Green) (N-terminus) and C-terminus (Blue) (C-terminus)

Polypeptides are made when mRNA is translated, a process involving ribosomes, tRNA and amino acids.

References

change
  1. Abba J. Kastin, ed. (2013). Handbook of Biologically Active Peptides (2nd ed.). Elsevier Science. ISBN 978-0-12-385095-9.
  2. Torres AM, Menz I, Alewood PF, et al. (July 2002). "D-Amino acid residue in the C-type natriuretic peptide from the venom of the mammal, Ornithorhynchus anatinus, the Australian platypus". FEBS Letters. 524 (1–3): 172–6. doi:10.1016/S0014-5793(02)03050-8. PMID 12135762. S2CID 3015474.
  3. Duquesne S, Destoumieux-Garzón D, Peduzzi J, Rebuffat S (August 2007). "Microcins, gene-encoded antibacterial peptides from enterobacteria". Natural Product Reports. 24 (4): 708–34. doi:10.1039/b516237h. PMID 17653356.
  4. Pons M, Feliz M, Antònia Molins M, Giralt E (May 1991). "Conformational analysis of bacitracin A, a naturally occurring lariat". Biopolymers. 31 (6): 605–12. doi:10.1002/bip.360310604. PMID 1932561. S2CID 10924338.