Membrane Association of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins.

Abstract

It is now clear that membrane association of intrinsically disordered proteins or intrinsically disordered regions regulates many cellular processes, such as membrane targeting of Src family kinases and ion channel gating. Residue-specific characterization by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, molecular dynamics simulations, and other techniques has shown that polybasic motifs and amphipathic helices are the main drivers of membrane association; sequence-based prediction of residue-specific membrane association propensity has become possible. Membrane association facilitates protein-protein interactions and protein aggregation-these effects are due to reduced dimensionality but are similar to those afforded by condensate formation via liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS). LLPS at the membrane surface provides a powerful means for recruiting and clustering proteins, as well as for membrane remodeling.