A polymer of amino acids joined together by peptide bonds. It is a single linear chain of many amino acids, held together by amide bonds.
Definition. noun, plural: polypeptides. (1) A polymer of amino acids joined together by peptide bonds. (2) An unbranched peptide, often comprised of about a hundred amino acids. Supplement. Word origin: Greek polýs (many) + peptide. See also: 1  Peptide. 2  Monomer Peptides (from Gr. πεπτός, digested, derived from πέσσειν, to digest) are biologically occurring short chains of amino acid monomers linked by peptide (amide) bonds. The covalent chemical bonds are formed when the carboxyl group of one amino acid reacts with the amino group of another. The shortest peptides are dipeptides, consisting of 2 amino acids joined by a single peptide bond, followed by tripeptides, tetrapeptides, etc. Nonribosomal peptides are assembled by enzymes that are specific to each peptide, rather than by the ribosome. The most common non-ribosomal peptide is glutathione, which is a component of the antioxidant defenses of most aerobic organisms. All proteins are different from one another and each consists of one or more polypeptide chain. Your cells use dehydration synthesis to link multiple amino acids together and form a polypeptide chain. During this process, a water molecule is removed which creates a peptide bond between two amino acids. Each polypeptide chain is a series of amino acids joined together in a specific sequence. Because each amino acid has a unique R group, a particular amino acid sequence creates a polypeptide whose function is dependent upon its chemical structure. The differences in these R groups are what help give a polypeptide chain its structure and ultimately its function. The order and arrangement of these amino acids in a polypeptide chain will produce different chemical structures. A protein's structure is essential to its function. Length: 1  A polypeptide is a single linear chain of many amino acids, held together by amide bonds. 2  A protein is one or more polypeptide (more than about 50 amino acids long). 3  An oligopeptide consists of only a few amino acids (between two and twenty). Nonribosomal peptides are assembled by enzymes that are specific to each peptide, rather than by the ribosome. The most common non-ribosomal peptide is glutathione, which is a component of the antioxidant defenses of most aerobic organisms. Proteins consist of one or more polypeptide chains. Each polypeptide chain consists of smaller subunits or amino acids that are linked together. Amino acids serve as the building blocks of polypeptides, and polypeptides serve as the building blocks of proteins. The differences in these R groups are what help give a polypeptide chain its structure and ultimately its function. The order and arrangement of these amino acids in a polypeptide chain will produce different chemical structures. A protein's structure is essential to its function. Linear chains of amino acids that singly or in multiples of two or more form into proteins. Chains of just two amino acids are called, chains of three are, and any more are polypeptides.  Peptide. Definition. noun, plural: peptides. A compound consisting of amino acids connected by an amide bond. Supplement. Peptides care comprised of monomers of amino acids that are linked in chain via an amide bond. The bond is formed between the carboxyl group of one amino acid and the amine group of another. A peptide comprised of two amino acids is called dipeptide. A peptide that has three amino acids is called a tripeptide; if it has four, tetrapeptide, and so forth. Peptides can be classified according to function. Examples of peptide groups based on their function include hormones, neuropeptides, and alkaloids. 1. peptide bond-the primary linkage of all protein structures; the chemical bond between the carboxyl groups and amino groups that unites a peptide. peptide linkage. bond, chemical bond-an electrical force linking atoms. peptide bond. n. 1. (Biochemistry) biochem a chemical amide linkage, -NH-CO-, formed by the condensation of the amino group of one amino acid with the carboxyl group of another. A peptide is a short chain of amino acids. The amino acids in a peptide are connected to one another in a sequence by bonds called peptide bonds. Typically, peptides are distinguished from proteins by their shorter length, although the cut-off number of amino acids for defining a peptide and protein can be arbitrary. Peptides are generally considered to be short chains of two or more amino acids. Meanwhile, proteins are long molecules made up of multiple peptide subunits, and are also known as polypeptides. Proteins can be digested by enzymes (other proteins) into short peptide fragments.
http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Polypeptide https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peptide http://study.com/academy/lesson/polypeptide-chain-definition-structure-synthesis.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peptide http://study.com/academy/lesson/polypeptide-chain-definition-structure-synthesis.html http://www.biologyaspoetry.com/terms/polypeptide.html http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Peptide http://www.thefreedictionary.com/peptide+bond http://www.nature.com/scitable/definition/peptide-317
polypeptide definition biology