polypeptide
ポリペプチド
解説 Definition
polypeptide は、多数のアミノ酸が結合してできた分子、つまりポリペプチドを指します。日本語のカタカナ語も生化学でほぼ同じ意味に使われ、タンパク質の構造や合成の説明でよく出ます。
A polypeptide is a molecular chain composed of many amino acids joined by peptide bonds. One or more polypeptide chains may fold into a functional protein, although the terms polypeptide and protein are not always equivalent.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
polypeptide は poly-「多くの」＋ peptide「ペプチド」から成り、多数のアミノ酸が peptide bonds「ペプチド結合」で連なった鎖を指します。poly- を polygon の「多い」と結び付け、a polypeptide chain、fold a polypeptide のように、合成後の鎖が折りたたまれる場面を思い浮かべます。
Divide polypeptide into poly-, meaning “many,” and peptide, a short chain of amino acids. The structure therefore tells you that a polypeptide is a longer chain containing many amino-acid units linked by peptide bonds. Connect poly- with polygon, which has many angles, and picture a polypeptide chain emerging during protein synthesis and then folding into a three-dimensional shape. Useful phrases include polypeptide chain, synthesize a polypeptide, and polypeptide folding. Remember that a polypeptide can become part or all of a protein, but the two terms are not automatically identical.
例文
A polypeptide is made of amino acids.
ポリペプチドはアミノ酸からできています。
The cell produced a short polypeptide.
その細胞は短いポリペプチドを作りました。
Scientists analyzed how the polypeptide folded under different temperatures.
科学者たちは、そのポリペプチドが異なる温度でどのように折りたたまれるかを分析しました。
polypeptide の類義語・関連語
polypeptide の語源・成り立ち Etymology
ギリシャ語 polys（多くの）+ peptein（消化する）が語源。多数のアミノ酸がペプチド結合で繋がった鎖を意味する。poly- は polygon（多角形）、peptein は pepsin（消化酵素ペプシン）と同根。
Polypeptide is formed from the Greek-derived prefix poly-, “many,” and peptide. Peptide was coined from a Greek root related to peptein, “to digest,” because early peptide chemistry was connected with products of protein digestion; pepsin belongs to the same historical group. In modern biochemical terminology, peptide refers to amino acids linked by peptide bonds. Adding poly- emphasizes that many such amino-acid residues form the chain. The word’s present structure therefore transparently describes a many-unit peptide molecule.
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