A live-streamed event around the impact of AlphaFold2 and related technologies in Structural Biology
The VSC and EuroCC Belgium are collaborating to organize a live-streamed event on the impact of AlphaFold2 and related technologies in Structural Biology. The webinar will explore the fascinating world of AI in structural biology, focusing on the remarkable AlphaFold2.
Explore the realm of advanced technology that is revolutionizing our understanding of protein structures, providing insights into protein-protein interactions, and transforming de novo protein design.
About the Event
9:15 - 9:30 Welcome
9:30 - 10:25 55 Presentation 1 | Arne Elofsson | Stockholm University, Sweden
Towards a Complete Structural Map of the Human Proteome Using AlphaFold
Cellular functions are governed by molecular machines that assemble through protein-protein interactions. Their atomic details are critical to studying their molecular mechanisms. Today the structure of virtually all individual proteins is available from predictions using AlphaFold. However, these predictions are limited to individual chains and do not include interactions. In this talk I will describe our attempts to increase the structural coverage of protein-protein interactions. Today fewer than 5% of hundreds of thousands of human protein interactions have been structurally characterised. We show that combining predictions and experiments can orthogonally confirm higher-confidence models, and using AlphaFold2, we have built 3,137 high-confidence models, of which 1,371 have no homology to a known structure. We are exploring rapid methods to identify protein interaction networks. Finally, we show how the predicted binary complexes can be used to build very larger assemblies using a Monte Carlo Tree search method.
10:25 - 10:40 15 minutes Break
10:40 - 11:20 40 minutes Presentation 2 | Casper Goverde | EPFL, Switzerland
Functional design of soluble analogs of integral membrane proteins
Breakthroughs in the field of computational protein design allows for the design of ever larger and more complex protein folds. However, there is a significant gap that needs to be bridged to reach the complexity and functionality of natural protein folds. This talk aims to show how deep learning-based tools can be used to push the frontier of complex proteins forwards. Inspired by natural membrane proteins such as G-Protein Coupled Receptors and claudins, we show how complex structural and functional features of membrane proteins can be recapitulated in soluble analogs. The expansion of the soluble fold space opens the door to new applications in biotechnology such as novel protein sensors and potentially new drug discovery approaches.
11:20 - 12:00 40 minutes Presentation 3 | Maxim Tsenkov | EMBL-EBI, United Kingdom
Harmonising Structure and Function: An Illumination of the Protein Landscape
Artificial intelligence has revolutionised structural biology, extending its reach to a broader scientific audience. At AlphaFold Protein Structure Database, we make these predicted structure models widely accessible, supporting diverse research with tools like Foldseek. This integration allows for deep exploration of the protein universe, enhancing understanding of structure and function. Join me as we equip you, the scientific community, with the necessary tools and methods to utilise this wealth of data, driving forward discovery and innovation at the crossroads of AI and biology.
This event will be live-streamed on our live-stream page and YouTube channel.