Genes encoding intrinsic disorder in Eukaryota have high GC content

Area of Science:

• Genomics
• Proteomics
• Molecular Evolution

Background:

• Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) lack stable 3D structures, playing crucial roles in cellular functions.
• Gene sequence composition, specifically Guanine-Cytosine (GC) content, can influence protein characteristics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the correlation between gene GC content and the level of intrinsic disorder in eukaryotic proteins.
• To explore the evolutionary implications of GC content and intrinsic disorder in proteins.

Main Methods:

• Computational analysis of gene sequences and protein disorder levels across 12 eukaryotic species.
• Assessment of amino acid composition, codon usage, and evolutionary age.

Main Results:

• Disordered protein regions are encoded by GC-enriched gene segments in eukaryotes.
• GC enrichment in these regions is directly correlated with the degree of protein disorder.
• Amino acid GC-content profiles are conserved across species.

Conclusions:

• GC-rich codons preferentially encode amino acids found in disordered protein regions.
• The observed GC enrichment in disordered regions suggests a role in protein evolution, with early amino acids being more disorder-promoting and encoded by GC-rich codons.