Proteolysis
Proteolysis is the directed degradation (digestion) of proteins by cellular enzymes called proteases or by intramolecular digestion.
Proteolysis is used by the cell for several purposes. They include
- Removal of N-terminal methionine residues after translation.
- Removal of the signal sequence of peptides after their transport through a membrane
- Separation of viral proteins that were translated from a monocistronic mRNA
- Digestion of proteins from foods as a source of amino acids
- Conversion of predecessor-proteins (proenzymes, zymogenes, prehormones) into their final structures.
Examples of proteases are trypsin and chymotrypsin.
