Peptide and protein are two types of structures composed of amino acids. There are several differences between the two.
Basis Of Differentiation | Peptide | Protein |
Definition | Is a short chain of amino acids that are connected to one another in a sequence by a peptide bond | Is a longer chain of amino acids |
Number of amino acids | May contain up to 50 or fewer amino acids | May contain more than 50 amino acids |
Types of amino acids | Is composed of essential amino acids as well as other naturally-occurring amino acids | Is composed of 20 essential amino acids |
Structure | Is a simple structure that is made up of a polypeptide backbone to which are attached the amino-acids specific side chains, the R group | Is a complex molecule made up of one or more polypeptide chains folding into secondary, tertiary or quaternary structure, which is held stable by 3 types of weak non-covalent bonds – ionic bonds, hydrogen bonds, and van der Waal bonds |
Composition | Composed of both essential amino acids and other naturally-occurring amino acids | Composed only of 20 essential amino acids |
Function | Plays a key role in regulating activities of other molecules, particularly proteins | Serves as enzymes, structural molecules, and hormones |