Pepsin. Whats the point?

[ilzmastr]

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What's the point of chief cells secreting pepsinogen that needs to be activated by a super low pH of 2 to digest proteins, when the small intestine, that handles the majority of all digestion, secretes trypsin to digest protein, that functions at friendlier pH's of 5-7?

Is it just to denature and unfold proteins to expose some bonds for breaking?

And what effect does this super low pH have on other molecules like carbohydrates? Nada?

 

[nabilesmail]

Maybe, pepsin disrupts teritiary structure, i think trypson cleaves amino acid bonds, this would be hard to do if the protein was in tact right?

Just guessing here lols

 

[loveoforganic]

The GI system has TONS of wiggle room built in. You have to have very significant failure to actually experience ill effects. That's basically what's happening here

 

[MedPR]

What's the point of chief cells secreting pepsinogen that needs to be activated by a super low pH of 2 to digest proteins, when the small intestine, that handles the majority of all digestion, secretes trypsin to digest protein, that functions at friendlier pH's of 5-7?

Is it just to denature and unfold proteins to expose some bonds for breaking?

And what effect does this super low pH have on other molecules like carbohydrates? Nada?

Trypsinogen is secreted by the pancreas, not the small intestine.

Pepsin, chymotrypsin, and trypsin each degrade different amino acid linkages. Each one is not capable of degrading an entire protein on its own.

 

[ilzmastr]

Thank You!