생화학분자생물학회

​
 

Felix JONAS

the Department of New Biology DGIST

Protein Disorder, Gene Regulation and Omics Lab

fjonas@dgist.ac.kr

[Biographical Sketch & Research Overview] 

Since his undergraduate studies in Molecular Biology in Germany, Dr. Felix Jonas has sought to understand the molecular mechanisms that enable complex life. Building on an international research background, Dr. Jonas established his lab within the Department of New Biology at DGIST to decode how intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) of proteins shape genome biology and beyond, combining computational and wet-lab biology.

During his postdoctoral research at the Weizmann Institute of Science (Israel), Dr. Jonas and his colleagues investigated various aspects of eukaryotic gene regulation1 and uncovered the crucial role that long IDRs play in guiding transcription factors to their genomic targets2,3. Despite constituting a large fraction of the proteome that scales with organismal complexity, these non-structured regions cannot be understood through the classical structure-function paradigm of protein biology. Instead, they demand a new framework to connect their primary amino acid sequence to their biological function. Dr. Jonas helped define such a sequence “grammar” for transcription factor IDRs, demonstrating how short linear motifs and distributed hydrophobic residues within hydrophilic contexts cooperate to mediate both stable protein interactions and dynamic, “fuzzy” molecular contacts4-6.

Figure: Intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) are critical for transcription factor function, driving evolution and enabling targeted design.

His new group at DGIST aims to expand this research and achieve a broader understanding of this "dark matter" of the proteome—decoding its sequence code and revealing its role in the biology of complex organisms. To this end, his team employs a dual approach: modern computational tools, including multi-omics analysis and Artificial Intelligence, alongside advanced experimental methods such as NGS-based assays and CRISPR-Cas9 genome engineering. Current projects focus specifically on IDRs in DNA repair proteins, utilizing protein language models to discover the "secret code" that allows them to modulate diverse biological phenomena.

Beyond fundamental question-driven science, Dr. Jonas actively collaborates with researchers at DGIST and beyond to reveal how IDRs contribute to diseases like cancer or age-associated decline, aiming to unlock their potential for human medicine and bioengineering. Looking ahead, his research envisions a convergence of AI-driven modeling and high-content experimentation as a central strategy for understanding and ultimately engineering complex biological systems. Korea’s strong commitment to innovation and interdisciplinary science provides an ideal environment for this endeavor.

[Research Team Composition]

​

The Jonas Lab currently comprises one PhD student, two research interns, and one student assistant, and continues to grow. We welcome curious minds eager to decode the hidden grammar of proteins and help shape the future of genome biology at DGIST.

[Contact information]

Felix JONAS

the Department of New Biology DGIST

Protein Disorder, Gene Regulation and Omics Lab

fjonas@dgist.ac.kr

https://jonaslab.dgist.ac.kr/ 

​[Key recent publications]

​

1. Yaakov, G., Jonas, F., and Barkai, N. (2021). Measurement of histone replacement dynamics with genetically encoded exchange timers in yeast. Nat Biotechnol. 10.1038/s41587-021-00959-8.

2. Kumar, D.K., Jonas, F., Jana, T., Brodsky, S., Carmi, M., and Barkai, N. (2023). Complementary strategies for directing in vivo transcription factor binding through DNA binding domains and intrinsically disordered regions. Mol Cell 83, 1462-1473.e1465. 10.1016/j.molcel.2023.04.002.

3. Jonas, F., Navon, Y., and Barkai, N. (2025). Intrinsically disordered regions as facilitators of the transcription factor target search. Nature reviews. Genetics 26. 10.1038/s41576-025-00816-3.

4. Hurieva, B., Kumar, D.K., Morag, R., Lupo, O., Carmi, M., Barkai, N., and Jonas, F. (2024). Disordered sequences of transcription factors regulate genomic binding by integrating diverse sequence grammars and interaction types. Nucleic Acids Res. 10.1093/nar/gkae521.

5. Jonas, F., Carmi, M., Krupkin, B., Steinberger, J., Brodsky, S., Jana, T., and Barkai, N. (2023). The molecular grammar of protein disorder guiding genome-binding locations. Nucleic Acids Res 51, 4831-4844. 10.1093/nar/gkad184.

6. Liu, J., Kumar, D.K., Hurieva, B., Jonas, F., and Barkai, N. (2026). Engineering intrinsically disordered regions for guiding genome navigation. Mol Cell. 10.1016/j.molcel.2026.01.019.