Which enzymes break proteins down into amino acids?

Which enzymes break proteins down into amino acids?

• A. Peptidases
• B. Amylases
• C. Lipases
• D. Nucleases

Answer: (A)

Proteins are broken down into amino acids by proteases, also called peptidases. These enzymes hydrolyze the peptide bonds that connect amino acids in a protein, releasing individual amino acids that the body can absorb. In our digestion, proteases start the work in the stomach with pepsin and continue in the small intestine with pancreatic enzymes like trypsin and chymotrypsin, eventually yielding free amino acids. Amylases, by contrast, specialize in carbohydrates, breaking starch into sugars. Lipases target fats, splitting triglycerides into fatty acids and glycerol. Nucleases dismantle nucleic acids like DNA and RNA into nucleotides. Each type of enzyme has a specific substrate it acts upon, and proteases are the ones responsible for turning proteins into amino acids.

Proteins are broken down into amino acids by proteases, also called peptidases. These enzymes hydrolyze the peptide bonds that connect amino acids in a protein, releasing individual amino acids that the body can absorb. In our digestion, proteases start the work in the stomach with pepsin and continue in the small intestine with pancreatic enzymes like trypsin and chymotrypsin, eventually yielding free amino acids.

Amylases, by contrast, specialize in carbohydrates, breaking starch into sugars. Lipases target fats, splitting triglycerides into fatty acids and glycerol. Nucleases dismantle nucleic acids like DNA and RNA into nucleotides. Each type of enzyme has a specific substrate it acts upon, and proteases are the ones responsible for turning proteins into amino acids.