This work examines what is known about intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs), which play important regulatory and signaling roles in the human body. After a short introduction to the history of research on IDPs, the book details physical principles of protein structure and describes bioinformatics and proteomic techniques for large-scale discovery and characterization of IDPs. Detailed descriptions of the structural ensemble of IDPs lead to chapters on the functional classification of IDPs, the extension of the structure-function paradigm, and the involvement of structural disorder in disease. Applications are described in drug development for cancer and neurodegenerative diseases. B&w illustrations and a list of abbreviations and acronyms are included. The book's readership includes IDP researchers and undergraduate and graduate students in protein science, biochemistry, and molecular biology. Tompa is affiliate with the Institute of Enzymology, Biological Research Center of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in Budapest, Hungary. Annotation ©2010 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)