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A protease (also called a peptidase, proteinase, or proteolytic enzyme) [1] is an enzyme that catalyzes proteolysis, breaking down proteins into smaller polypeptides or single amino acids, and spurring the formation of new protein products. [2] They do this by cleaving the peptide bonds within proteins by hydrolysis, a reaction where water ...
For many years, scientists assumed that water leaked through the cell membrane, and some water does. However, this did not explain how water could move so quickly through some cells. [28] Aquaporins selectively conduct water molecules in and out of the cell, while preventing the passage of ions and other solutes. Also known as water channels ...
Microbial degradation of protein in the environment can be regulated by nutrient availability. For example, limitation for major elements in proteins (carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur) induces proteolytic activity in the fungus Neurospora crassa [5] as well as in of soil organism communities. [6] Proteins in cells are broken into amino acids.
Without regulation, proteases will destroy many proteins which are essential to physiological processes. One way the body regulates proteases is through protease inhibitors. Protease inhibitors can be other proteins, small peptides, or molecules. There are two types of protease inhibitors: reversible and irreversible.
Alpha-helical proteins are present in the inner membranes of bacterial cells or the plasma membrane of eukaryotic cells, and sometimes in the bacterial outer membrane. [5] This is the major category of transmembrane proteins. In humans, 27% of all proteins have been estimated to be alpha-helical membrane proteins. [6]
This is usually to accumulate high concentrations of molecules that a cell needs, such as glucose or amino acids. If the process uses chemical energy, such as adenosine triphosphate (ATP), it is called primary active transport. Membrane transport proteins that are driven directly by the hydrolysis of ATP are referred to as ATPase pumps. [9]
Porins are beta barrel proteins that cross a cellular membrane and act as a pore, through which molecules can diffuse. [1] Unlike other membrane transport proteins , porins are large enough to allow passive diffusion , i.e., they act as channels that are specific to different types of molecules.
Hydrolase enzymes are important for the body because they have degradative properties. In lipids, lipases contribute to the breakdown of fats and lipoproteins and other larger molecules into smaller molecules like fatty acids and glycerol. Fatty acids and other small molecules are used for synthesis and as a source of energy. [1]