Nondomain biopolymers: Flexible molecular strategies to acquire biological functions |
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| Authors: | Kazuharu Arakawa Tetsuro Hirose Toshifumi Inada Takuhiro Ito Toshie Kai Masaaki Oyama Yukihide Tomari Takao Yoda Shinichi Nakagawa |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Institute for Advanced Biosciences, Keio University, Tokyo, Japan;2. RNA Biofunction Laboratory, Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Suita, Japan;3. Division of RNA and Gene Regulation, Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan;4. Laboratory for Translation Structural Biology, RIKEN Center for Biosystems Dynamics Research, Yokohama, Japan;5. Germline Biology Laboratory, Graduate School of Frontier Biosciences, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan;6. Medical Proteomics Laboratory, The Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan;7. Laboratory of RNA Function, Institute for Quantitative Biosciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan;8. Nagahama Institute of Bio-Science and Technology, Nagahama, Japan;9. RNA Biology Laboratory, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan |
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| Abstract: | ![]()
A long-standing assumption in molecular biology posits that the conservation of protein and nucleic acid sequences emphasizes the functional significance of biomolecules. These conserved sequences fold into distinct secondary and tertiary structures, enable highly specific molecular interactions, and regulate complex yet organized molecular processes within living cells. However, recent evidence suggests that biomolecules can also function through primary sequence regions that lack conservation across species or gene families. These regions typically do not form rigid structures, and their inherent flexibility is critical for their functional roles. This review examines the emerging roles and molecular mechanisms of “nondomain biomolecules,” whose functions are not easily predicted due to the absence of conserved functional domains. We propose the hypothesis that both domain- and nondomain-type molecules work together to enable flexible and efficient molecular processes within the highly crowded intracellular environment. |
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| Keywords: | intrinsically disordered proteins noncoding RNA nondomain biopolymers nonmembranous organelles nuclear bodies phase separation |
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