Peptides vs. proteins: a scientific perspective on their differences

Proteins and peptides are fundamental components of cells that carry out important biological functions. Proteins give cells their shape, for example, and they respond to signals transmitted from the extracellular environment. Certain types of peptides play key roles in regulating the activities of other molecules. Structurally, proteins and peptides are very similar, being made up of chains of amino acids that are held together by peptide bonds (also called amide bonds). So, what distinguishes a peptide from a protein?

The basic distinguishing factors are size and structure. Peptides are smaller than proteins. Traditionally, peptides are defined as molecules that consist of between 2 and 50 amino acids, whereas proteins are made up of 50 or more amino acids. In addition, peptides tend to be less well defined in structure than proteins, which can adopt complex conformations known as secondary, tertiary, and quaternary structures. Functional distinctions may also be made between peptides and proteins.

Peptides, however, may be subdivided into oligopeptides, which have few amino acids (e.g., 2 to 20), and polypeptides, which have many amino acids. Proteins are formed from one or more polypeptides joined together. Hence, proteins essentially are very large peptides. In fact, some researchers use the term peptide to refer specifically to oligopeptides, or otherwise relatively short amino acid chains, with the term polypeptide being used to describe proteins or chains of 50 or more amino acids.

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