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Disorder and sequence repeats in hub proteins and their implications for network evolution
Zsuzsanna Dosztányi1, Jake Chen, A Keith Dunker
1Institute of Enzymology, Biological Research Center, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 1518 Budapest, Hungary.
Journal of Proteome Research
|November 4, 2006
Summary
Hub proteins, critical for network organization, possess distinct sequence features like disorder and repeats. These characteristics enhance binding, suggesting an evolutionary specialization process for network structure.
Area of Science:
- Systems Biology
- Bioinformatics
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Protein interaction networks exhibit scale-free topology, with hub proteins central to network organization.
- Hubs interact with numerous proteins, influencing the network's overall structure and function.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if specific sequence features distinguish hub proteins from less connected proteins.
- To explore the role of sequence characteristics in the evolution of protein interaction networks.
Main Methods:
- Comparative analysis of protein interaction networks across four species: yeast, fruit fly, worm, and human.
- Assessment of sequence features including structural disorder, repeats, low complexity regions, and chain length in proteins of varying connectivity.
Main Results:
- Hub proteins showed significantly higher proportions of predicted structural disorder, sequence repeats, and low complexity regions compared to less connected proteins.
- Hub proteins were also found to be significantly longer on average than non-hub proteins.
- These features suggest mechanisms for extended interaction surfaces and enhanced binding flexibility in hub proteins.
Conclusions:
- Sequence features like disorder and repeats contribute to the multi-interaction capabilities of hub proteins.
- The findings challenge the gene duplication model, proposing an alternative evolutionary network specialization process.
- Proteins may evolve specific sequence traits to enhance binding fitness and specialize in network organization.
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