Protein and its significance
Proteins are one of the most important molecules of life, with almost every biological function from birth to death being regulated by them in some way.
Each protein is made up of a string of smaller building blocks called amino acids, which contain all the information to transform proteins — from a single sequence to a folded, functional 3D structure.
There are about 20 different amino acids that link together in different combinations.
One’s body uses these amino acids to make new proteins, such as muscle and bone, and other compounds such as enzymes and hormones.
The nutritional value of a protein is measured by the quantity of essential amino acids it contains.
Proteins are involved in the repair mechanism.
They serve as a defense against infections.
AI helps in predicting it's structure
Things changed when Google DeepMind’s protein-structure prediction software AlphaFold burst onto the scene in 2020
AlphaFold uses machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) to accurately predict protein structures from an amino acid sequence, seemingly solving the protein-folding problem without learning any of the deeper physical principles that drive this biological process
The new AlphaFold 3 can predict protein-protein interactions as well as the structures of other molecules like DNA and RNA, along with the interactions of proteins with all these other compounds.
Unlike its predecessors, AlphaFold 3 uses a diffusion model, which is what image-generating software also uses.
The model works by first training on protein structures, adding noise to the data, and then trying to de-noise it.
This way, the model becomes able to work its way back from a noisy structure to a real protein structure.
Applications
Protein folding thermodynamics can be used to identify small molecules that stabilize or destabilize the native structure of the protein, which can lead to the development of new drugs.
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