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Updated: May 26, 2026

Investigating Protein Sequence-structure-dynamics Relationships with Bio3D-web
Published on: July 16, 2017
Biophysical and structural considerations for protein sequence evolution.
Johan A Grahnen1, Priyanka Nandakumar, Jan Kubelka
1Department of Molecular Biology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA.
Protein sequence evolution models must account for biophysics. A new physics-based model and an informational model both deviate from native sequences, highlighting the need for improved protein folding and binding function representations in evolutionary studies.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Computational Biology
- Evolutionary Biology
Background:
- Protein sequence evolution is influenced by folding and function, creating site interdependence.
- Current models often ignore these biophysical constraints, limiting accuracy.
- Previous attempts to incorporate biophysics into phylogenetic models have shown limited success.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and compare a coarse-grained physics-based model with an informational model for protein sequence evolution.
- To investigate how these models handle thermodynamic optima and sequence space exploration.
- To assess the models' ability to capture natural evolutionary features.
Main Methods:
- Development of a coarse-grained physics-based model for protein folding and binding.
- Comparison with a popular informational model of sequence evolution.
- Utilizing sampling and simulation to analyze model outputs and sequence properties.
Main Results:
- Both models predict directional selection away from native sequences, violating thermodynamic optimum assumptions.
- The physics-based model shows higher specificity for fold-defining interactions.
- The informational model explores sequence space more broadly, with less support for invariant sites.
Conclusions:
- Simple coarse-grained models can capture some natural evolutionary features but require refinement for accurate evolutionary inference.
- Improvements are needed in representing protein structure, folding energy, and binding functions.
- The developed models offer potential for various applications in understanding protein evolution.
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