Classification of Glycine as an Organic Compound

Enzymes are biological catalysts that accelerate chemical reactions in living organisms. A significant class of enzymes is proteases, which are involved in protein digestion and regulation. These enzymes often exhibit specificity toward certain peptide bonds based on their chemical structures. One important feature of proteases is their active site, which is uniquely structured to accommodate specific substrates. This passage describes a hypothetical enzyme, Peptidase-X, which has a substrate specific for the amino acid sequence 'Ala-Gly'. Researchers studied the kinetic parameters of Peptidase-X and assessed its catalytic efficiency under varying pH levels. Based on their findings, it was determined that Peptidase-X displayed optimal activity at a pH of 7.4, which is typical for human enzymes.

Given this context, what class of organic compounds does the amino acid 'Gly' belong to, considering its structure and biological role within proteins?