SLiMs
Short linear motifs (SLiMs) are short, linear stretches of amino acids within proteins, typically 3–10 residues long, that mediate key cellular interactions. They are usually embedded in larger proteins and commonly reside in intrinsically disordered regions, where they can be accessible and flexible. Because of their brevity and sequence degeneracy, SLiMs can arise and disappear rapidly over evolutionary time, and their activity is highly context-dependent, relying on surrounding sequence, structure, and cellular conditions.
Function and recognition: SLiMs act as molecular handles that recruit binding partners, enzymes, or regulatory machinery.
Prediction and validation: Identifying SLiMs is challenging because of degeneracy and context dependence. Computational approaches include
Examples: Well-known SLiMs include SH3-binding PxxP motifs, C-terminal PDZ-binding motifs, degrons such as DSGxxS recognized by