Proteases catalyze hydrolysis of which type of bonds?

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Proteases catalyze the hydrolysis of peptide bonds, the amide linkages that connect amino acids in proteins. Water is added to break the bond, yielding shorter peptides or free amino acids. This is distinct from other bond types: glycosidic bonds in carbohydrates are targeted by glycosidases, ester bonds in lipids by esterases, and phosphodiester bonds in nucleic acids by nucleases. The peptide (amide) bond is the specific target of proteases, enabling protein digestion and turnover.