Neighbouring domains of multidomain proteins with homologous tandem repeats have divergent sequences, probably as a result of evolutionary pressure to avoid misfolding and aggregation, particularly at the high cellular protein concentrations. Here we combine microfluidic-mixing single-molecule kinetics, ensemble experiments and molecular simulations to investigate how misfolding between the immunoglobulin-like domains of titin is prevented. Surprisingly, we find that during refolding of tandem repeats, independent of sequence identity, more than half of all molecules transiently form a wide range of misfolded conformations. Simulations suggest that a large fraction of these misfolds resemble an intramolecular amyloid-like state reported in computational studies. However, for naturally occurring neighbours with low sequence identity, these transient misfolds disappear much more rapidly than for identical neighbours. We thus propose that evolutionary sequence divergence between domains is required to suppress the population of long-lived, potentially harmful misfolded states, whereas large populations of transient misfolded states appear to be tolerated.

Communication within cells relies on a few protein nodes called hubs, which organize vast interactomes with many partners. Frequently, hub proteins are intrinsically disordered conferring multi-specificity and dynamic communication. Conversely, folded hub proteins may organize networks using disordered partners. In this work, the structure of the RST domain, a unique folded hub, is solved by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and small-angle X-ray scattering, and its complex with a region of the transcription factor DREB2A is provided through data-driven HADDOCK modeling and mutagenesis analysis. The RST fold is unique, but similar structures are identified in the PAH (paired amphipathic helix), TAFH (TATA-box-associated factor homology), and NCBD (nuclear coactivator binding domain) domains. We designate them as a group the αα hubs, as they share an αα-hairpin super-secondary motif, which serves as an organizing platform for malleable helices of varying topology. This allows for partner adaptation, exclusion, and selection. Our findings provide valuable insights into structural features enabling signaling fidelity.

Evolution and design of protein complexes is almost always viewed through the lens of amino acid mutations at protein interfaces. We showed previously that residues not involved in the physical interaction between proteins make important contributions to oligomerisation by acting indirectly or allosterically. Here, we sought to investigate the mechanism by which allosteric mutations act using the example of the PyrR family of pyrimidine operon attenuators. In this family, a perfectly sequence-conserved helix that forms a tetrameric interface is exposed as solvent-accessible surface in dimeric orthologues. This means that mutations must be acting from a distance to destabilize the interface. We identified eleven key mutations controlling oligomeric state, all distant from the interfaces and outside ligand-binding pockets. Finally, we show that the key mutations introduce conformational changes equivalent to the conformational shift between the free versus the nucleotide-bound conformations of the proteins.

What governs the balance between connectivity and topology in regulating the mechanism of protein folding? We use circular permutation to vary the order of the helices in the all-α Greek key protein FADD (Fas-associated death domain) to investigate this question. Unlike all-β Greek key proteins, where changes in the order of secondary structure cause a shift in the folding nucleus, the position of the nucleus in FADD is unchanged, even when permutation reduces the complexity significantly. We suggest that this is because local helical contacts are so dominant that permutation has little effect on the entropic cost of forming the folding nucleus whereas, in all-β Greek key proteins, all interactions in the nucleus are long range. Thus, the type of secondary structure modulates the sensitivity of proteins to changes in connectivity.

Understanding the interplay between sequence, structure and function of proteins has been complicated in recent years by the discovery of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs), which perform biological functions in the absence of a well-defined three-dimensional fold. Disordered protein sequences account for roughly 30% of the human proteome and in many proteins, disordered and ordered domains coexist. However, few studies have assessed how either feature affects the properties of the other. In this study, we examine the role of a disordered tail in the overall properties of the two-domain, calcium-sensing protein neuronal calcium sensor 1 (NCS-1). We show that loss of just six of the 190 residues at the flexible C-terminus is sufficient to severely affect stability, dynamics, and folding behavior of both ordered domains. We identify specific hydrophobic contacts mediated by the disordered tail that may be responsible for stabilizing the distal N-terminal domain. Moreover, sequence analyses indicate the presence of an LSL-motif in the tail that acts as a mimic of native ligands critical to the observed order–disorder communication. Removing the disordered tail leads to a shorter life-time of the ligand-bound complex likely originating from the observed destabilization. This close relationship between order and disorder may have important implications for how investigations into mixed systems are designed and opens up a novel avenue of drug targeting exploiting this type of behavior.