I have never bothered to look it up. Who here will be the one to tell us what they are?
I can tell you what I know.
Peptides are the bonds that keep proteins together. Just as fiber is needed to sustain and keep muscle together, peptides serve the same purpose but with proteins. In other words, they are the very basic building blocks of protein.
When you eat dietary protein (chicken, beef etc..), your body breaks it down into amino acids. Amino acids are then used to build proteins. Proteins comes in different shapes and sizes depending upon the cell structure it is part of. The bond that connects proteins together are called peptides or peptide bonds.
Take a look at this picture to give you an idea of what a peptide looks like when creating a bond:
The way in which peptides form bonds between different proteins and consequently the way in which these peptide bond, then fold into each other, ultimately determines the nature and function of that peptide bond (proteins bonded by peptides).
Proteins are an crucial part of cell function (provides barrier for cell protection, serves as messengers etc..).
Without peptides, protein function and differentiation would be difficult to ascertain.
Remember, I am no Biology professor, but based off of what I remember from my undergrad days, that is it in a nutshell.
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