2026-05-25T04:10:20Zhttps://keep.lib.asu.edu/oai/request

oai:keep.lib.asu.edu:node-1984282025-02-12T22:37:46Zoai_pmh:alloai_pmh:repo_items

198428 https://hdl.handle.net/2286/R.2.N.198428 http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0 2024-12 27 pages Swonger, Christian Trembath-Reichert, Elizabeth Zheng, Wenwei Barrett, The Honors College School of Earth and Space Exploration School of Life Sciences Text Historically, proteins have been viewed as ordered structures that follow the structure-function paradigm. However, intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs), which lack a stable 3D structure, appear to break this rule. These proteins are dynamic entities that perform various functions and have been correlated with adaptations to harsh environments. Prokaryotes are model organisms for studying IDPs as they are underrepresented in disordered protein databases, and they are some of the most diverse organisms. The goal of this thesis is to investigate and shed light on the prevalence of IDPs in prokaryotes by examining the current literature, protein databanks, and the proteome of three prokaryotes: Deinococcus radiodurans, Pseudomonas putida, and Methanocaldococcus jannaschii. In addition, the thesis aims to shed light on possible biomedical and biotech applications for prokaryotic IDPs. Throughout the study, DisProt was used as the primary databank and Metapredict as the primary predictor. The findings reveal that the organisms are likely to contain more IDPs than the number recorded in DisProt and a connection between harsh conditions and IDP prevalence. Furthermore, we identified three types of IDPs commonly found in prokaryotes that have potential biotech applications: chaperone, linker, and phase-separated. Future recommendations for research include integrative IDP studies, the connection between environment and IDPs, and biotech applications. Through such future investigations, prokaryotic IDPs could drive innovations that address current challenges in biotechnology. Prokaryotes Intrinsically disordered proteins Intrinsically disordered regions Biotechnology DisProt Chaperones Linkers Phase separation Investigation of Prokaryotic Intrinsically Disordered Proteins (IDPs) and Their Applications in Biotechnology