Skip to main content
eScholarship
Open Access Publications from the University of California

UC Merced

UC Merced Previously Published Works bannerUC Merced

Structural biases in disordered proteins are prevalent in the cell

Abstract

Intrinsically disordered proteins and protein regions (IDPs) are prevalent in all proteomes and are essential to cellular function. Unlike folded proteins, IDPs exist in an ensemble of dissimilar conformations. Despite this structural plasticity, intramolecular interactions create sequence-specific structural biases that determine an IDP ensemble's three-dimensional shape. Such structural biases can be key to IDP function and are often measured in vitro, but whether those biases are preserved inside the cell is unclear. Here we show that structural biases in IDP ensembles found in vitro are recapitulated inside human-derived cells. We further reveal that structural biases can change in a sequence-dependent manner due to changes in the intracellular milieu, subcellular localization, and intramolecular interactions with tethered well-folded domains. We propose that the structural sensitivity of IDP ensembles can be leveraged for biological function, can be the underlying cause of IDP-driven pathology or can be used to design disorder-based biosensors and actuators.

Many UC-authored scholarly publications are freely available on this site because of the UC's open access policies. Let us know how this access is important for you.

Main Content
For improved accessibility of PDF content, download the file to your device.
Current View