Fig. 1.

Adaptation of a communication channel to describe protein design, focusing on IDP design. In a traditional communication channel, the information source produces the message, which is then decoded and converted into a signal for transmission over the channel by the decoder. The actual signal that is transmitted is a convolution of the intrinsic signal and extrinsic modifications introduced in the form encryption, noise, or ancillary signals. The transmission is processed by a receiver and relayed to its intended destination. We propose that the model of a communication channel can be adapted to describe proteins, such that the amino acid sequence (information source) encodes protein function (receiver) and resulting cellular phenotype (destination). IDPs exhibit conformational heterogeneity. Therefore, analysis of all-atom simulations that considers the entire ensemble of conformations needs to be used to decode the information contained in the IDP sequence.