[SCAN] DiSORDER at the Host-Pathogen Interface

Title: DiSORDER at the Host-Pathogen Interface

Speaker: Tiago Cordeiro

From: Dynamic Structural Biology Lab

Abstract: Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) play emerging roles in infection biology by leveraging structural flexibility to mediate dynamic interactions. In this talk, I will present our recent work on two disordered hubs central to viral and bacterial pathogenesis: the

SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid (N) protein and the E. coli effector Tir. Using integrative biophysical methods, we reveal how a conserved coiled-coil motif in the disordered linker of N drives oligomerization and phase separation, offering a detailed ensemble model of its self-assembly. In parallel, we show how Tir exploits disorder to mimic host receptors and modulate signaling through phosphorylation-regulated motifs and membrane interactions. These studies highlight the functional power of disorder at the host-pathogen interface.

SCANs are weekly seminars that happen every Wednesday at noon by in-house researchers and invited speakers at ITQB NOVA.