prolinerijke

Prolinerijke is a Dutch term used in biology to describe sequences or proteins that contain a high proportion of the amino acid proline. The designation highlights regions with many proline residues, often referred to as proline-rich regions (PRRs) or proline-rich motifs (PRMs).

In terms of structure, proline-rich regions tend to be of low complexity and can contribute to intrinsic disorder. Proline imposes conformational constraints that can disrupt regular secondary structures, leading to flexible linkers or extended turns. PRMs frequently include motifs such as PxxP, which are common binding sites for interaction modules.

Functionally, proline-rich regions often mediate protein–protein interactions. They can serve as docking sites for domains such as SH3, WW, or profilin-binding modules, thereby coordinating signaling pathways, cytoskeletal organization, and transcriptional regulation. Because of their binding properties, prolinerijke regions are common in signaling adapters, cytoskeletal regulators, and other proteins involved in dynamic cellular processes. A well-known example is the proline-rich region found in cortactin, which participates in interactions with SH3-domain-containing partners.

Beyond individual proteins, prolinerijke features appear across eukaryotic proteomes and can be important for the modular organization of signaling networks. They are contrasted with regions that are structured and enriched for other amino acids.

See also: proline-rich region, SH3 domain, profilin, intrinsically disordered region, low-complexity region.