The triple power of D3: Protein intrinsic disorder in degenerative diseases

Abstract

This review is an update of an article published four years ago (Uversky V.N. (2009) Intrinsically disordered proteins in neurodegenerative diseases: another illustration of the D2 concept. Frontiers in Bioscience 14, 5188-5238). The major goal of this review is to show the interconnections between intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) and human neurodegeneration. This brings to existence a new D3 concept: protein intrinsic Disorder in neuroDegenerative Diseases. An important aspect of the D3 concept is that it deals with three D3's, emphasizing that intrinsically Disordered proteins are abundantly found in various neuroDegenerative Diseases (the first D3), that these IDPs provoke neuroDegeneration due to their Dysfunctionality (the second D3), and that neuroDegeneration- related IDPs are often controlled by other Disordered proteins (the third D 3).