Intrinsically Disordered Proteins as an Instrument for Research-Integrating Teaching

Abstract

With increasing demands for inquiry-competent problem-solvers and emerging evidence that active problem-solving promotes a deeper understanding of science (1-3), universities are facing a need to rethink teaching styles to promote students as active contributors to exploring and solving scientific problems (4, 5). One way is through integrating research in teaching. This method involves a dynamic process of realization for both the student and the researcher and is centered around a scientific area of interest to both (6). In a course on intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) (7), we explored how teaching and research can be integrated in ways that not only confer deep learning (8) and research-related skills, but also create new scientific insights.IDPs are a group of recently discovered proteins. Unlike other proteins, the function of IDPs is not tied to a three-dimensional form. Instead, they exist as dynamic ensembles of disordered structures relevant to their function. The disordered dynamics and discord of function from a specific shape challenges a .60-yr-old paradigm (9) that has shaped the established scientific knowledge on what proteins look like and how they function (10-12) (Fig 1a). IDPs are not an oddity but make up 30-40% of the human genome (13) with key roles in health and disease (14). They are subject to an emerging interest, not only in basic research (15,16), but also from industries, having an interest in their roles in diseases and cures and in using them as novel biomaterials. The limited knowledge and potential for important