CLEP Natural Sciences - Biological Science

Answer: A - Enzymes.  Proteases catalyze the breakdown of proteins by hydrolyzing peptide bonds, which are the bonds that link amino acids together in a protein. The protease will bind to a specific location on the protein, called the active site, and use a water molecule to break the peptide bond, effectively splitting the protein into smaller peptide fragments. This process is called proteolysis. Proteases can also be grouped in different families, based on the mechanism of action, the amino acid residue responsible for the catalytic activity, and the type of bond that is cleaved.