In molecular biology short linear motifs (SLiMs), linear motifs or minimotifs are short stretches of protein sequence that mediate protein–protein interaction.[1][2]
The first definition was given by Tim Hunt:[3]
"The sequences of many proteins contain short, conserved motifs that are involved in recognition and targeting activities, often separate from other functional properties of the molecule in which they occur. These motifs are linear, in the sense that three-dimensional organization is not required to bring distant segments of the molecule together to make the recognizable unit. The conservation of these motifs varies: some are highly conserved while others, for example, allow substitutions that retain only a certain pattern of charge across the motif."
- ^ Diella F, Haslam N, Chica C, Budd A, Michael S, Brown NP, et al. (May 2008). "Understanding eukaryotic linear motifs and their role in cell signaling and regulation". Frontiers in Bioscience. 13 (13): 6580–603. doi:10.2741/3175. PMID 18508681.
- ^ Neduva V, Russell RB (October 2006). "Peptides mediating interaction networks: new leads at last". Current Opinion in Biotechnology. 17 (5): 465–71. doi:10.1016/j.copbio.2006.08.002. PMID 16962311.
- ^ Dice JF (August 1990). "Peptide sequences that target cytosolic proteins for lysosomal proteolysis". Trends in Biochemical Sciences. 15 (8): 305–9. doi:10.1016/0968-0004(90)90019-8. PMID 2204156.