Intrinsic disorder as a generalizable strategy for the rational design of highly responsive, allosterically cooperative receptors.

ABSTRACT: Control over the sensitivity with which biomolecular receptors respond to small changes in the concentration of their target ligand is critical for the proper function of many cellular processes. Such control could likewise be of utility in artificial biotechnologies, such as biosensors, genetic logic gates, and "smart" materials, in which highly responsive behavior is of value. In nature, the control of molecular responsiveness is often achieved using "Hill-type" cooperativity, a mechanism in which sequential binding events on a multivalent receptor are coupled such that the first enhances the affinity of the next, producing a steep, higher-order dependence on target concentration. Here, we use an intrinsic-disorder-based mechanism that can be implemented without requiring detailed struct

SUBMITTER: Simon AJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4210277 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature