Final answer:
Proteins are digested into amino acids, which serve as indispensable building blocks for various bodily functions. They are broken down during digestion into smaller chains called polypeptides, which ultimately fold into functional proteins. Amino acids link together in countless combinations to construct the diverse proteins essential for human life.
Step-by-step explanation:
Proteins are digested into their building blocks, which are called amino acids. These amino acids are essential for various bodily functions including building and repairing cells, and fighting infection. Proteins are polymer chains made of amino acids linked together by peptide bonds. In human digestion, proteins are broken down in the stomach into smaller polypeptide chains through the action of hydrochloric acid and protease enzymes. This digestion process is critical for the absorption of essential amino acids that our bodies cannot synthesize on their own.
Amino acids are also the components that link together to form linear chains called polypeptides. Although the terms polypeptide and protein can sometimes be interchangeably used, a polypeptide is technically a polymer of amino acids. The term protein refers to one or more polypeptides that have assumed a distinct shape and function, which often includes a complex three-dimensional structure.
The 20 different amino acids found in proteins combine in thousands of different ways, providing a vast array of proteins necessary for human structure and function. After proteins are synthesized, they frequently undergo further modifications to become fully functional.