D. Structure-function relationships:
Sequence patterns that predict function
One of the
most challenging areas of computational molecular biology is the predicting
functions of protein molecule from their sequences.
-
alignment of
groups of sequences of proteins of similar function
-
identifying
conserved regions (domains or active sites)
-
functions of
these conserved domains are defined by laboratory research
-
the function
of other sequences that have similar conserved domains can be inferred
-
any unknown
protein sequence can be quickly scanned for the presence of over a thousand
known domains
Similarly, databases
of important conserved elements within DNA sequences have been developed:
-
transcription factor binding sites
restriction enzyme recognition sites
Some
3D RNA structures can also be predicted based strictly on sequence
- by sequence comparison with other known sequences (such
as tRNA)
or by simple detection of stem-loop structures as inverse repeats
Computers in Molecular Microbiology
Bharat Patel, Biomolecular & Biomedical Sciences,
Griffith University
Comments to: bharat@trishul.sci.gu.edu.au