pepsiin
Pepsiin, commonly referred to as pepsin, is a digestive endopeptidase of the stomach belonging to the aspartic protease family. It is produced in the stomach as the inactive precursor pepsinogen by chief cells and is activated to pepsin when exposed to the highly acidic environment created by gastric hydrochloric acid. In its active form, pepsiin initiates the digestion of dietary proteins by cleaving peptide bonds, producing smaller peptides that are further degraded in the small intestine.
Pepsiin operates best at very low pH, with activity maximized around pH 1.5 to 2.0. It exhibits
Structure and activation: Pepsiin is derived from a larger zymogen, pepsinogen, which is secreted into the gastric
Occurrence and significance: Pepsiin is produced by the stomachs of many vertebrates and plays a central role