Pepsin is an enzyme that whose precursor form (pepsinogen) is released by the chief cells in the stomach and that degrades food proteins into peptides. Pepsin was discovered in 1836 by Theodor Schwann who also coined this enzyme's name from the Greek word pepsis, meaning digestion (peptein: to digest). It was the first animal enzyme to be discovered, and, in 1929, it became one of the first enzymes to be crystallized, by John H. Northrop. Pepsin is a digestive protease.Pepsin functions best in acidic environments and is often found in an acidic environment, particularly those with a pH of 1.5 to 2. Pepsin denatures if the pH is more than 5.0.Pepsins should be stored at very cold temperatures (between ?20°C and ?80°C) to prevent autolysis (self-cleavage). Autolysis may also be prevented by storage of pepsins at pH 11 or by using modified pepsins (e.g., by reductive methylation). When the pH is adjusted back to 6.0 activity returns.
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