@article {Tang2020.06.12.148304, author = {Qian-Yuan Tang and Testsuhiro S Hatakeyama and Kunihiko Kaneko}, title = {Functional Sensitivity and Mutational Robustness of Proteins}, elocation-id = {2020.06.12.148304}, year = {2020}, doi = {10.1101/2020.06.12.148304}, publisher = {Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory}, abstract = {Sensitivity and robustness appear to be contrasting concepts. However, natural proteins are robust enough to tolerate random mutations, meanwhile be susceptible enough to sense environmental signals. Both high functional sensitivity (i.e., plasticity) and mutational robustness are compatible. To analyze the protein dynamics under external perturbations and mutations, we introduce fluctuation entropy for the functional sensitivity and the spectrum entropy for the mutational robustness. The compatibility of sensitivity and robustness is analyzed by the optimization of two entropies, which leads to the power-law vibration spectrum of proteins. These power-law behaviors are confirmed extensively by protein data, as a hallmark of criticality. The size dependence of functional sensitivity and mutational robustness is analyzed accordingly, which suggests a general evolutionary constraint for proteins with different chain lengths. This framework can also establish a general link of the criticality with robustness-plasticity compatibility, both of which are ubiquitous features in biological systems.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.}, URL = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/06/13/2020.06.12.148304}, eprint = {https://www.biorxiv.org/content/early/2020/06/13/2020.06.12.148304.full.pdf}, journal = {bioRxiv} }