Funding for new Research Training Group RTG 2467 „Intrinsically Disordered Proteins – Molecular Principles, Cellular Functions, and Diseases“ granted by the DFG
Approximately 40% of amino acid sequences in higher eukaryotes are predicted to be intrinsically disordered (intrinsically disordered proteins, IDPs and intrinsically disordered regions, IDRs) lacking defined structural elements. Many of these flexible proteins and protein regions remain understudied. This is despite their importance in regulating fundamental biological processes and in the generation of dynamic architectural superstructures, including, e.g., membrane-less organelles.
IDPs/IDRs will be investigated by an interdisciplinary group of research scientists composed of biochemists, biophysicists, and cell biologists. Their complementary scientific backgrounds will enable studies ranging from the in vitro characterization of IDPs/IDRs to their investigation within cells. A major focus will be the study of IDP/IDR interactions with proteins as well as RNA. All of the planned RTG projects address key questions on the molecular processes that govern how a single IDP/IDR might adopt multiple conformations upon protein- or RNA-binding.
