A Keith Dunker
Indiana University , USA
Biography
A Keith Dunker switched his focus to intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) on November 15, 1995, following a seminar by Charles Kissinger on the structure and function of calcineurin (CaN), After studying virus and phage structure and function for more than 25 years. This serine/threomine phosphatase has a long IDP region that contains both an auto-inhibitory domain and a calcium-calmodulin (Ca-CaM) binding site. This long CaN IDP region functions as a Ca-CaM-regulated on-off switch for CaN’s phosphatase activity, thus connecting Ca-CaM and phosphorylation/dephosphorylation signaling pathways. By now, he and his collaborators have coauthored over 200 papers on IDPs and their functions. In 2014/2015/2016 and 2017 he has been recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher by Clarviate Analytics.