Machine Learning Approach to Protein Structure, Dynamics, and Function

A special issue of Biomolecules (ISSN 2218-273X). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Structure and Dynamics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2022) | Viewed by 13761

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Physics and Optical Science, University of North Carolina Charlotte, 9201 University City Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28223, USA
Interests: protein biophysics; NMR spectroscopy; biomolecular interactions; protein assembly and aggregation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

We are preparing a Special Issue on “Machine Learning Approach to Protein Structure, Dynamics, and Function” for the MPDI journal Biomolecules. In recent years, the number of publications related to this topic has grown exponentially. The development of sophisticated algorithms and the accumulation of large amounts of structural and functional data on proteins enables the extraction of complex patterns and non-trivial relationships, deepening our understanding of protein biology and paving the way for the design of novel, safer therapeutics. Thus, the review of the present state of machine learning applications to proteins seems timely. We welcome original manuscripts and reviews dealing with any aspect of machine learning approaches to studying protein structures, dynamics, and function.

Dr. Irina Nesmelova
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • machine learning
  • artificial intelligence
  • proteins
  • protein structure
  • protein dynamics
  • protein design
  • protein function
  • drug design

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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18 pages, 5286 KiB  
Article
AI-Aided Design of Novel Targeted Covalent Inhibitors against SARS-CoV-2
by Bowen Tang, Fengming He, Dongpeng Liu, Fei He, Tong Wu, Meijuan Fang, Zhangming Niu, Zhen Wu and Dong Xu
Biomolecules 2022, 12(6), 746; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom12060746 - 25 May 2022
Cited by 61 | Viewed by 4983
Abstract
The drug repurposing of known approved drugs (e.g., lopinavir/ritonavir) has failed to treat SARS-CoV-2-infected patients. Therefore, it is important to generate new chemical entities against this virus. As a critical enzyme in the lifecycle of the coronavirus, the 3C-like main protease (3CLpro or [...] Read more.
The drug repurposing of known approved drugs (e.g., lopinavir/ritonavir) has failed to treat SARS-CoV-2-infected patients. Therefore, it is important to generate new chemical entities against this virus. As a critical enzyme in the lifecycle of the coronavirus, the 3C-like main protease (3CLpro or Mpro) is the most attractive target for antiviral drug design. Based on a recently solved structure (PDB ID: 6LU7), we developed a novel advanced deep Q-learning network with a fragment-based drug design (ADQN–FBDD) for generating potential lead compounds targeting SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro. We obtained a series of derivatives from the lead compounds based on our structure-based optimization policy (SBOP). All of the 47 lead compounds obtained directly with our AI model and related derivatives based on the SBOP are accessible in our molecular library. These compounds can be used as potential candidates by researchers to develop drugs against SARS-CoV-2. Full article
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Review

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50 pages, 5658 KiB  
Review
Protein Function Analysis through Machine Learning
by Chris Avery, John Patterson, Tyler Grear, Theodore Frater and Donald J. Jacobs
Biomolecules 2022, 12(9), 1246; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom12091246 - 06 Sep 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 5544
Abstract
Machine learning (ML) has been an important arsenal in computational biology used to elucidate protein function for decades. With the recent burgeoning of novel ML methods and applications, new ML approaches have been incorporated into many areas of computational biology dealing with protein [...] Read more.
Machine learning (ML) has been an important arsenal in computational biology used to elucidate protein function for decades. With the recent burgeoning of novel ML methods and applications, new ML approaches have been incorporated into many areas of computational biology dealing with protein function. We examine how ML has been integrated into a wide range of computational models to improve prediction accuracy and gain a better understanding of protein function. The applications discussed are protein structure prediction, protein engineering using sequence modifications to achieve stability and druggability characteristics, molecular docking in terms of protein–ligand binding, including allosteric effects, protein–protein interactions and protein-centric drug discovery. To quantify the mechanisms underlying protein function, a holistic approach that takes structure, flexibility, stability, and dynamics into account is required, as these aspects become inseparable through their interdependence. Another key component of protein function is conformational dynamics, which often manifest as protein kinetics. Computational methods that use ML to generate representative conformational ensembles and quantify differences in conformational ensembles important for function are included in this review. Future opportunities are highlighted for each of these topics. Full article
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13 pages, 1473 KiB  
Review
Single-Stranded DNA Binding Proteins and Their Identification Using Machine Learning-Based Approaches
by Jun-Tao Guo and Fareeha Malik
Biomolecules 2022, 12(9), 1187; https://doi.org/10.3390/biom12091187 - 26 Aug 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2239
Abstract
Single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) binding proteins (SSBs) are critical in maintaining genome stability by protecting the transient existence of ssDNA from damage during essential biological processes, such as DNA replication and gene transcription. The single-stranded region of telomeres also requires protection by ssDNA binding [...] Read more.
Single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) binding proteins (SSBs) are critical in maintaining genome stability by protecting the transient existence of ssDNA from damage during essential biological processes, such as DNA replication and gene transcription. The single-stranded region of telomeres also requires protection by ssDNA binding proteins from being attacked in case it is wrongly recognized as an anomaly. In addition to their critical roles in genome stability and integrity, it has been demonstrated that ssDNA and SSB–ssDNA interactions play critical roles in transcriptional regulation in all three domains of life and viruses. In this review, we present our current knowledge of the structure and function of SSBs and the structural features for SSB binding specificity. We then discuss the machine learning-based approaches that have been developed for the prediction of SSBs from double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) binding proteins (DSBs). Full article
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