Prediction of protein aggregation

Prog Mol Biol Transl Sci. 2024:206:229-263. doi: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2024.03.005. Epub 2024 Apr 16.

Abstract

The scientific community is very interested in protein aggregation because of its involvement in several neurodegenerative diseases and its significance in industry. Remarkably, fibrillar aggregates are utilized naturally for constructing structural scaffolds or creating biological switches and may be intentionally designed to construct versatile nanomaterials. Consequently, there is a significant need to rationalize and predict protein aggregation. Researchers have developed various computational methodologies and algorithms to predict protein aggregation and understand its underlying mechanics. This chapter aims to summarize the significant advancements in computational methods, accessible resources, and prospective developments in the field of in silico research. We assess the existing computational tools for predicting protein aggregation propensities, detecting areas that are prone to sequential and structural aggregation, analyzing the effects of mutations on protein aggregation, or identifying prion-like domains.

Keywords: Aggregation propensity; Computational methods; Prediction; Protein aggregation.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Algorithms
  • Computational Biology / methods
  • Humans
  • Protein Aggregates*
  • Proteins / chemistry
  • Proteins / metabolism

Substances

  • Protein Aggregates
  • Proteins