What is the primary product when protease acts on proteins?

What is the primary product when protease acts on proteins?

• A. Amino acids
• B. Peptides
• C. Glucose
• D. Nucleotides

Answer: (A)

Proteases break peptide bonds in proteins, chopping long chains into smaller pieces. While short peptides are formed along the way, the body’s final digestion products are free amino acids, which are small enough to be absorbed and reused for new protein synthesis. Glucose would come from carbohydrate digestion, and nucleotides from nucleic acids, not from protease action on proteins. Thus amino acids are the primary product of proteolysis.

Proteases break peptide bonds in proteins, chopping long chains into smaller pieces. While short peptides are formed along the way, the body’s final digestion products are free amino acids, which are small enough to be absorbed and reused for new protein synthesis. Glucose would come from carbohydrate digestion, and nucleotides from nucleic acids, not from protease action on proteins. Thus amino acids are the primary product of proteolysis.