66.2k views
2 votes
Pepsin is _______.

A. a protein that digests protein
B. an enzyme that digests protein
C. a peptidase

User Krug
by
3.1k points

1 Answer

6 votes

Answer:

The correct answer is: a protein that digests protein , an enzyme that digests protein , and a peptidase (all of the options are correct).

Step-by-step explanation:

Pepsin is a peptidase, a special enzyme with the function to degrade proteins into amino acids. Like all enzymes, pepsin is also a protein.

Pepsin is an important agent in the process of digestion and one of the main proteases in the body. Pepsin's proenzyme, pepsinogen, is secreted in the stomach by the chief cells, and upon its release into the acidic environment of the gastric juice, it is activated and transformed into pepsin.

Pepsin's function is important because the small amino acids that result from the degradation of proteins will be reabsorbed in the small intestine.

User Starr Horne
by
3.6k points