How to probe intrinsically disordered proteins and protein unfolding using advanced FT-IR technology?

A significant number of proteins contain intrinsically disordered regions that play vital roles in protein functions. Structural and spectroscopic techniques have been developed to study folded proteins. Advanced FT-IR technology is an emerging technology with growing applications. Here we report how temperature-resolved and time-resolved Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) techniques were employed to study intrinsically disordered proteins and protein folding. We found that intrinsically disordered nature of proteins may change across physiological temperatures. In addition, binding of a ligand or drug candidate can alter the properties of protein structure and stability. Consequently, it is applicable to use FT-IR techniques to study drug binding to intrinsically disordered proteins.