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Short linear motifs - the unexplored frontier of the eukaryotic proteome

Edited by Norman Davey

Short linear motifs (SLiMs) guide the life of proteins from translation to destruction, directing their interactions, modification state, localisation and stability. The human proteome has been estimated to contain more than a hundred thousand – possibly up to a million – SLiM instances. Yet, to date, only a small fraction of the complete motif repertoire has been characterised and we still know relatively little about these elegantly simple protein interaction modules. This review series in Cell Communication and Signaling explores several central concepts that have emerged in the field of protein motif biology and, in doing so, highlights key questions about SLiMs that still remain to be answered.

This collection of articles has not been sponsored and articles have undergone the journal’s standard peer review process. The Guest Editor declares no competing interests.

View all collections published in Cell Communication and Signaling

  1. RNA-binding proteins play a key role in the regulation of all aspects of RNA metabolism, from the synthesis of RNA to its decay. Protein-RNA interactions have been thought to be mostly mediated by canonical RN...

    Authors: Aino I. Järvelin, Marko Noerenberg, Ilan Davis and Alfredo Castello
    Citation: Cell Communication and Signaling 2016 14:9
  2. Protein-protein interactions (PPI) are involved in virtually every cellular process and thus represent an attractive target for therapeutic interventions. A significant number of protein interactions are frequ...

    Authors: Carles Corbi-Verge and Philip M. Kim
    Citation: Cell Communication and Signaling 2016 14:8
  3. A substantial portion of the regulatory interactions in the higher eukaryotic cell are mediated by simple sequence motifs in the regulatory segments of genes and (pre-)mRNAs, and in the intrinsically disordere...

    Authors: Kim Van Roey and Norman E. Davey
    Citation: Cell Communication and Signaling 2015 13:45
  4. It has become clear in outline though not yet in detail how cellular regulatory and signalling systems are constructed. The essential machines are protein complexes that effect regulatory decisions by undergoi...

    Authors: Toby J. Gibson, Holger Dinkel, Kim Van Roey and Francesca Diella
    Citation: Cell Communication and Signaling 2015 13:42