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Structure and Dynamics of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins

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Intrinsically Disordered Proteins Studied by NMR Spectroscopy

Part of the book series: Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology ((AEMB,volume 870))

Abstract

Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) are involved in a wide range of essential biological processes, including in particular signalling and regulation. We are only beginning, however, to develop a detailed knowledge of the structure and dynamics of these proteins. It is becoming increasingly clear that, as IDPs populate highly heterogeneous states, they should be described in terms of conformational ensembles rather than as individual structures, as is instead most often the case for the native states of globular proteins. Within this context, in this chapter we describe the conceptual tools and methodological aspects associated with the description of the structure and dynamics of IDPs in terms of conformational ensembles. A major emphasis is given to methods in which molecular simulations are used in combination with experimental nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements, as they are emerging as a powerful route to achieve an accurate determination of the conformational properties of IDPs.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    http://predictioncenter.org/.

  2. 2.

    IDPbyNMR (High resolution tools to understand the functional role of protein intrinsic disorder) is a Marie Curie activity funded under the FP7 people programme, project number 264257; http://www.idpbynmr.eu/home/.

  3. 3.

    http://pedb.vib.be/.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, CB2 1EW, Cambridge, UK

    Biao Fu & Michele Vendruscolo

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  1. Biao Fu
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  2. Michele Vendruscolo
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Correspondence to Michele Vendruscolo .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. CERM and Department of Chemistry, "Ugo Schiff" University of Florence, Florence, Italy

    Isabella C. Felli

  2. CERM and Department of Chemistry, "Ugo Schiff" University of Florence, Florence, Italy

    Roberta Pierattelli

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Fu, B., Vendruscolo, M. (2015). Structure and Dynamics of Intrinsically Disordered Proteins. In: Felli, I., Pierattelli, R. (eds) Intrinsically Disordered Proteins Studied by NMR Spectroscopy. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, vol 870. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-20164-1_2

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