The Many Uses Of Peptides

Peptides are short polymers of amino acid monomers linked by peptide bonds. They are distinguished from proteins on the basis of size, typically containing less than 50 monomer units. A peptide is formed by joining two or more amino acids. When the number of amino acids is less than about 50 these molecules are named peptides while larger sequences are referred to as proteins. The amino acids are coupled by a peptide bond, a special linkage in which the nitrogen atom of one amino acid binds to the carboxyl carbon atom of another.

Peptides are present in every living cell and possess a variety of biochemical activities. They appear as enzymes, hormones, antibiotics, receptors, etc. peptide synthesis is done by coupling the carboxyl group or C-terminus of one amino acid to the amino group or N-terminus of another.

Peptides play a crucial role in fundamental physiological and biochemical functions of life. For decades now, peptide research has been growing as a field in science. Peptides have recently received prominence in molecular biology for several reasons. The first is that peptides allow the creation of peptide antibodies in animals without the need to purify the protein of interest. This involves synthesizing antigenic peptides of sections of the protein of interest; these are then used to make antibodies in a rabbit or mouse against the protein. Another reasons interest in peptides has grown recently is that peptides have become instrumental in mass spectrometry, allowing the identification of proteins of interest based on peptide masses and sequence; in this case the peptides are most often generated by in-gel digestion after electrophoretic separation of the proteins.

Peptides have recently been used in the study of protein structure and function. For example, synthetic peptides can be used as probes to see where protein-peptide interactions occur. Inhibitory peptides are also used in clinical research to examine the effects of peptides on the inhibition of cancer proteins and other diseases.

As interest in peptides has grown, so have techniques for manufacturing it and studying new applications for it. For example, the peptide library is a newly developed technique for protein related study. A peptide library contains a great number of peptides that have a systematic combination of amino acids; it provides a powerful tool for drug design, protein-protein interactions, and other biochemical as well as pharmaceutical applications.

The interest in peptides is likely to continue into the future. The number of peptides entering clinical trials will likely grow, and the use of peptides conjugated to carbohydrates, antibodies and other proteins is likely to become more frequent. Peptides will not only be used as the active ingredient of new drugs, but as "add-ons" to other pharmaceutical agents. Additionally, the range of medical indications that peptides address will grow. Peptide-based substances will continue to find commercial use. Almost certainly peptides will find increased usage to treat obesity, metabolic syndromes and Type 2 diabetes. Peptides will also be used to address currently symptoms and ailments that cannot be treated with drugs.