What Does Chymotrypsin Cleave?

One such enzyme, chymotrypsin, cleaves peptide bonds selectively on the carboxylterminal side of the large hydrophobic amino acids such as tryptophan, tyrosine, phenylalanine, and methionine (Figure 9.1). Chymotrypsin is a good example of the use of covalent modification as a catalytic strategy.

Where does chymotrypsin cleave in a peptide sequence?

It uses an active serine residue to perform hydrolysis on the C-terminus of the aromatic amino acids of other proteins. Chymotrypsin is a protease enzyme that cleaves on the C-terminal phenylalanine (F), tryptophan (W), and tyrosine (Y) on peptide chains.

Why does chymotrypsin cleave?

Chymotrypsin cleaves peptide bonds by attacking the unreactive carbonyl group with a powerful nucleophile, the serine 195 residue located in the active site of the enzyme, which briefly becomes covalently bonded to the substrate, forming an enzyme-substrate intermediate.