Dipeptides: The Shortest Peptides

Vilon is a dipeptide — just two amino acids (Lys-Glu). The idea that such a short molecule could specifically regulate gene expression is provocative, and it's the extreme end of the bioregulator concept.

Members approach dipeptides with particular mechanistic skepticism, and rightly so: two amino acids rarely have the structural complexity for specific receptor binding or defined transcription-factor interaction. Specificity usually requires a larger surface, and a dipeptide is essentially a minimal fragment. The research is interesting as a concept but represents the thinnest evidence tier in peptide science, and the discussion below treats it accordingly — honest about the mechanistic skepticism rather than credulous about the claims.