unspecified length
The general term peptide refers to an amino acid chain of unspecified length. However, chains of about 50 amino acids or more are usually called proteins or polypeptides. In its physiologically active form, a protein may be composed of one or more polypeptide chains. For peptides and proteins to be physiologically active, it is not enough that they incorporate certain amounts of specific amino acids. The order, or sequence, in which the amino acids are connected is also of critical importance. Bradykinin is a nine-amino acid peptide produced in the blood that has the following amino acid sequence: arg-pro-pro-gly-phe-ser-pro-phe-arg This peptide lowers blood pressure, stimulates smooth muscle tissue, increases capillary permeability, and causes pain. When the order of amino acids in bradykinin is reversed, arg-phe-pro-ser-phe-gly-pro-pro-arg the peptide resulting from this synthesis shows none of the activity of bradykinin. Saylor URL: http://www. saylor. org/books.