Which types of molecules are degraded by proteases?

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Proteases are enzymes that cleave peptide bonds in polypeptides, breaking proteins down into smaller peptides and amino acids. Since glycoproteins are proteins with carbohydrate attachments, the protease can still act on the protein portion and degrade the protein backbone, even if the carbohydrate groups remain attached or are handled by other enzymes. Nucleic acids are degraded by nucleases, lipids by lipases, and carbohydrates by carbohydrases, so these types aren’t targeted by proteases. In short, proteases degrade proteins and glycoproteins.