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Fuzziness endows viral motif-mimicry
Norbert Duro1, Marton Miskei, Monika Fuxreiter
1MTA-DE Momentum, Laboratory of Protein Dynamics, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Debrecen, Hungary. fmoni@med.unideb.hu.
Molecular Biosystems
|August 21, 2015
Summary
Viruses and pathogens use motif-mimicry to disrupt host networks. Viral motifs, unlike host motifs, often exhibit increased flexibility and "fuzziness," enabling versatile interactions and competition with host peptides.
Area of Science:
- Molecular biology
- Virology
- Bioinformatics
Background:
- Pathogens and viruses utilize motif-mimicry to manipulate host regulatory networks.
- Effective motif-mediated interactions depend on distinct structural and dynamic properties of competing host and viral proteins.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze and compare the structural and dynamic features of eukaryotic and viral motifs.
- To investigate how these features influence host-pathogen interactions.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the eukaryotic linear motif (ELM) database for analysis.
- Compared human and human virus ELMs with common target sites.
- Examined protein regions containing eukaryotic and viral motifs.
Main Results:
- Eukaryotic motifs, though lacking structure, are stable molecular recognition elements.
- Viral motifs are often in ordered regions but possess increased local flexibility or disorder.
- Viral ELMs typically display 'fuzziness,' lacking stable binding elements and offering versatile interactions.
Conclusions:
- Viral motif 'fuzziness' reduces binding entropy and enhances interaction versatility, aiding competition with host peptides.
- Fuzzy interactions provide functional benefits like combinatorial motif usage and tunable affinity via post-translational modifications.
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