Enzyme
Also known as: enzymes · biological catalyst
A protein catalyst that speeds up a specific biochemical reaction — including the enzymes that build and break peptides.
An enzyme is a biological catalyst, almost always a protein, that accelerates a specific chemical reaction without being consumed. Enzymes are exquisitely selective for their substrate and are how the cell controls its chemistry.
Enzymes are central to peptide science on both sides: proteases break peptide bonds, while other enzymes build, modify and activate peptides. Many research compounds are studied precisely for how they influence a particular enzyme’s activity.
RELATED TERMS
Protease / Proteolysis
Enzymes that cut peptide bonds; proteolysis is the enzymatic breakdown that limits most peptides’ half-life.
Cofactor
A non-protein helper — a metal ion or small molecule — that an enzyme or peptide needs to be active.
Peptide Bond
The covalent amide bond linking amino acids into a peptide chain — the defining structural feature of every peptide.
Receptor / Agonist
A receptor is a cell’s signal-receiving protein; an agonist binds it and activates it, an antagonist blocks it.
Educational content, not medical advice. All products supplied for research purposes only — not for human consumption.