Unravelling the Most Complex Protein Knots: AI Powers Biophysicists in New Discovery

Scientists use AI to discover the most complex knots of protein so far

Since more than 50 years, the question of how a protein’s chemical composition–the sequence of amino acids–determines the 3D structure of that protein has been one the most challenging questions in biophysics. The knowledge of the \”folding\” or structure of proteins, is highly sought after, because it helps to understand various diseases, and how they are treated. AlphaFold is an artificial intelligence developed by Google’s DeepMind team to predict 3D structures.

Researchers from the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz and University of California Los Angeles have now examined these structures in relation to knots. Knots are most commonly associated with shoelaces, cables and other textiles. However, they can also be found in the nanoscale of our cells. Knotted proteins are not only useful for assessing the accuracy of structure predictions, but they also raise questions about folding mechanisms and evolution of proteins.

Source:
https://phys.org/news/2022-07-physicists-ai-complex-protein.html