Evolving concepts of the protein universe

Summary: The protein universe is the collection of all proteins on earth from all organisms both extant and extinct. Classical studies on protein folding suggested that proteins exist as a unique three-dimensional conformation that is dictated by the genetic code and is critical for function. In thi...

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Main Authors: Prakash Kulkarni, Lauren Porter, Tsui-Fen Chou, Shasha Chong, Fabrizio Chiti, Joseph W. Schafer, Atish Mohanty, Sravani Ramisetty, Jose N. Onuchic, Mick Tuite, Vladimir N. Uversky, Keith R. Weninger, Eugene V. Koonin, John Orban, Ravi Salgia
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-03-01
Series:iScience
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Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S258900422500272X
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author Prakash Kulkarni
Lauren Porter
Tsui-Fen Chou
Shasha Chong
Fabrizio Chiti
Joseph W. Schafer
Atish Mohanty
Sravani Ramisetty
Jose N. Onuchic
Mick Tuite
Vladimir N. Uversky
Keith R. Weninger
Eugene V. Koonin
John Orban
Ravi Salgia
author_facet Prakash Kulkarni
Lauren Porter
Tsui-Fen Chou
Shasha Chong
Fabrizio Chiti
Joseph W. Schafer
Atish Mohanty
Sravani Ramisetty
Jose N. Onuchic
Mick Tuite
Vladimir N. Uversky
Keith R. Weninger
Eugene V. Koonin
John Orban
Ravi Salgia
author_sort Prakash Kulkarni
collection DOAJ
description Summary: The protein universe is the collection of all proteins on earth from all organisms both extant and extinct. Classical studies on protein folding suggested that proteins exist as a unique three-dimensional conformation that is dictated by the genetic code and is critical for function. In this perspective, we discuss ideas and developments that emerged over the past three decades regarding the protein structure-function paradigm. It is now clear that ordered (active/functional) and disordered/denatured (and hence inactive/non-functional) represent a continuum of states rather than binary states. Some proteins can switch folds without sequence change. Others exist as conformational ensembles lacking defined structure yet play critical roles in many biological processes, including forming membrane-less organelles driven by liquid-liquid phase separation. Numerous diverse proteins harbor segments with the potential to form amyloid fibrils, many of which are functional, and some possess prion-like properties enabling conformation-based transfer of heritable information. Taken together, these developments reveal the remarkable complexity of the protein universe.
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spelling doaj-art-d90ad7dc594047fab363bdd6c8352d602025-08-20T02:47:21ZengElsevieriScience2589-00422025-03-0128311201210.1016/j.isci.2025.112012Evolving concepts of the protein universePrakash Kulkarni0Lauren Porter1Tsui-Fen Chou2Shasha Chong3Fabrizio Chiti4Joseph W. Schafer5Atish Mohanty6Sravani Ramisetty7Jose N. Onuchic8Mick Tuite9Vladimir N. Uversky10Keith R. Weninger11Eugene V. Koonin12John Orban13Ravi Salgia14Department of Medical Oncology, City of Hope Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA; Department of Systems Biology, City of Hope Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA; Division of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA; Corresponding authorNational Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USADivision of Biology and Biological Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA; Proteome Exploration Laboratory, Beckman Institute, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USADivision of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USADepartment of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences “Mario Serio”, University of Florence, Florence, ItalyNational Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USADepartment of Medical Oncology, City of Hope Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USADepartment of Medical Oncology, City of Hope Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USACenter for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, TX, USA; Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rice University, Houston, TX, USAKent Fungal Group, School of Biosciences, Division of Natural Sciences, University of Kent, CT2 7NJ Canterbury, UKDepartment of Molecular Medicine, Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA; Corresponding authorDepartment of Physics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USANational Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA; Corresponding authorW. M. Keck Laboratory for Structural Biology, University of Maryland Institute for Bioscience and Biotechnology Research, Rockville, MD, USA; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA; Corresponding authorDepartment of Medical Oncology, City of Hope Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA; Corresponding authorSummary: The protein universe is the collection of all proteins on earth from all organisms both extant and extinct. Classical studies on protein folding suggested that proteins exist as a unique three-dimensional conformation that is dictated by the genetic code and is critical for function. In this perspective, we discuss ideas and developments that emerged over the past three decades regarding the protein structure-function paradigm. It is now clear that ordered (active/functional) and disordered/denatured (and hence inactive/non-functional) represent a continuum of states rather than binary states. Some proteins can switch folds without sequence change. Others exist as conformational ensembles lacking defined structure yet play critical roles in many biological processes, including forming membrane-less organelles driven by liquid-liquid phase separation. Numerous diverse proteins harbor segments with the potential to form amyloid fibrils, many of which are functional, and some possess prion-like properties enabling conformation-based transfer of heritable information. Taken together, these developments reveal the remarkable complexity of the protein universe.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S258900422500272XBiological sciencesBiochemistryProteinStructural biology
spellingShingle Prakash Kulkarni
Lauren Porter
Tsui-Fen Chou
Shasha Chong
Fabrizio Chiti
Joseph W. Schafer
Atish Mohanty
Sravani Ramisetty
Jose N. Onuchic
Mick Tuite
Vladimir N. Uversky
Keith R. Weninger
Eugene V. Koonin
John Orban
Ravi Salgia
Evolving concepts of the protein universe
iScience
Biological sciences
Biochemistry
Protein
Structural biology
title Evolving concepts of the protein universe
title_full Evolving concepts of the protein universe
title_fullStr Evolving concepts of the protein universe
title_full_unstemmed Evolving concepts of the protein universe
title_short Evolving concepts of the protein universe
title_sort evolving concepts of the protein universe
topic Biological sciences
Biochemistry
Protein
Structural biology
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S258900422500272X
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