Protein evolution and protein disorder

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Proteins are made from sequences of amino acids linked together. Proteins perform many of the important functions in the cells of living organisms. They frequently have a modular structure, i.e., they are made of 'domains' that are combined in different ways to perform different functions. It is important to be able to understand the evolution of these component 'domains', so that we can find out what functions they perform. Some of these domains are 'disordered' in their normal functioning form (i.e., they do not have one, well-defined shape, but sample an ensemble of many different transient shapes). In the present proposal we will determine the evolutionary pressures acting on disordered regions in eukaryotes, so that we can better understand their functions, and improve how we label them in proteins.