A peptide bond is used to make a connection that leads to building what are called peptides. Peptides perform a wide variety of tasks in the body that are vital. Peptides are compounds that are similar to proteins but smaller. They usually contain fewer than 100 amino acids. Since most peptides perform vital tasks in the body, a peptide binding disorder that prevents the assembly of these important protein compounds would be very detrimental to health or even life-threatening.
What is peptide binding?
Peptides are compounds that are similar to proteins but smaller. They perform a wide variety of tasks in the body that are essential to life. In an organism, a single peptide bond connects the carboxyl group of one amino acid to the amino group of the α-carbon atom (also called the α-C atom) of another amino acid. This bond is called an amide-like bond. In the form of pure transcription, compounds with single peptide bonds may also be formed in organisms. Normally, however, polypeptide chains are formed in the body. This process takes place in the ribosomes. Before a peptide bond can be formed, it is necessary for the reactive groups to be activated first. This occurs in most peptide bonds in the human body or that of other living organisms through the action of enzymes.
Function and task
If the possibility of peptide binding did not exist, humans would not be able to live, because no peptides could be built. There are very many different peptides in the human body that perform very different tasks. The most important of these will be mentioned here. The peptide calcitonin regulates calcium metabolism via the thyroid gland. Endorphins are also peptides and can, for example, be very important in the body’s pain reduction in certain situations. Insulin, which is produced in the pancreas, also belongs to the peptides and is there to regulate the absorption of glucose. The peptide parathyroid hormone is produced in the parathyroid gland. Together with the other peptide calcitonin, it is required, among other things, for the regulation of calcium metabolism, but also fulfills many other tasks in the entire intermediary metabolism. Peptides called somasostatin are required for growth processes and the mode of action of hormones. Opioid peptides are required for physical and also mental development of humans, which have similar properties in the body as morphine, but in this case are not harmful but vital. Also essential for survival are all peptides that are used in the human body in the form of vasilidators or neurotransmitters. As can be easily seen from this list, which by far does not include all peptides that fulfill important tasks in the human body, any life in the human body would come to a standstill within a very short time without a smooth and undisturbed flow of peptide bonds. Even minimal disruptions at individual sites can have dire consequences. However, peptides are also increasingly being used to treat many diseases. These include cancer therapy, but also the treatment of diabetes or obesity. Likewise, there are peptides that can replace antibiotics if, for example, there is hypersensitivity to antibiotics. It is also important in artificial peptide synthesis, which is used to produce these drugs, that the peptide binding required for this purpose can take place properly.
Diseases and ailments
One serious disease associated with impaired peptide binding is diabetes. In this case, the pancreas does not provide enough of the body’s own insulin. The transport of glucose can then no longer take place properly and there is a disturbance of the entire carbohydrate metabolism. If this disturbance becomes so severe that lactic acidosis occurs, it can be fatal. Peptide binding in the laboratory is important in the production of insulin to treat this disorder. If there is a disturbance in the formation of calcitonin and/or parathormone in the body, this leads to a disturbance in the entire calcium metabolism. Not only the bone skeleton would be damaged and can become brittle.The entire cell metabolism could also come to a standstill, because the regular influx of calcium into human cells is essential for survival. A disruption in the formation of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which fulfills a vital function in the central nervous system, could very quickly prove fatal. Certain venoms attack this neurotransmitter. These include some snake venoms. Many venoms also attack calcium channels, preventing the appropriate peptides from doing their job. Heat, the action of heavy metals in the body, radioactive radiation, such as the action of certain salts, or even too high a concentration of alcohol can also prevent the smooth formation of peptides and the associated peptide binding from taking place properly. Many dangerous substances generally classified as drugs interfere with the mode of action of neurotransmitters and, to that extent, with the formation, including peptide binding, of these peptides that are essential for survival. In research on schizophrenia, it is currently being discussed whether a disorder relating to the neurotransmitter glutamate plays a role in this. In this case, it is also possible that the assembly of this important peptide, and thereby its peptide binding, is not proceeding properly.
