Britannica AI Icon

Quick Summary

A polypeptide is a chain of amino acids linked by peptide bonds. While the distinction between peptides and proteins can be imprecise, polypeptides are generally considered to be longer chains of amino acids than peptides, typically consisting of 50 or more amino acids. Proteins are essentially very large peptides, formed from one or more polypeptide chains. These chains are fundamental to all living organisms and carry out essential biological functions. The specific sequence and arrangement of amino acids determine a protein's structure and function.1234

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.