Protein Structure and Function. Application of Bioinformatics Methods - John Rigden 2014

Bioinformatics methods for studying the structure and function of disordered proteins
Conclusion

Overall, function prediction is arguably a more challenging task than Structure prediction, since similar structures can perform entirely different Functions (see also Chapter 6). This is particularly true for IDPs, for which structure is not simply the absence of a defined spatial fold. Structural elements of IDPs of various sizes represent an ensemble of interconverting conformational states characterized by different lifetimes and linked to the function performed. A number of prediction Methods reliably forecast the disordered state based on Amino Acid Sequence analysis and are also capable of identifying, with reasonable accuracy, structural elements likely to be associated with a specific function. Attempts to Predict IDP functions from sequences, however, lag significantly behind structure prediction methods in their development. Furthermore, the success of such attempts is severely limited by complicating factors such as rapid evolution and the frequent independence of sequence from function. Given the functional importance of many IDPs, considerable research activity in this field can be expected in the near future.