What is a peptide?
A chain of amino acids
A peptide is a short chain of amino acids linked by peptide bonds (amide bonds between one amino acid's carboxyl group and the next one's amine group).
The distinction from a protein is mostly about size: below roughly fifty amino acids we usually speak of a peptide, and above that of a protein.
Sequence and structure
The order of amino acids (the sequence) determines the peptide's physico-chemical properties: solubility, charge, folding.
This sequence is what a laboratory specifies, synthesises and then verifies analytically to guarantee the compound's identity.
Why peptides matter in research
Their intermediate size and precise sequence make them valued tools in fundamental and methodological research.
This document is educational: it describes neither effect, nor benefit, nor human use.
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