Model learns how individual amino acids determine protein function

Model learns how individual amino acids determine protein function

Technique could improve machine-learning tasks in protein design, drug testing, and other applications.

Rob Matheson | MIT News Office

Publication Date: March 22, 2019

 


A machine-learning model from MIT researchers computationally breaks down how segments of amino acid chains determine a protein’s function, which could help researchers design and test new proteins for drug development or biological research.

Proteins are linear chains of amino acids, connected by peptide bonds, that fold into exceedingly complex three-dimensional structures, depending on the sequence and physical interactions within the chain. That structure, in turn, determines the protein’s biological function. Knowing a protein’s 3-D structure, therefore, is valuable for, say, predicting how proteins may respond to certain drugs.

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