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Unraveling virus relationships by structure-based phylogenetic classification.
Weng M Ng1, Alice J Stelfox1, Thomas A Bowden1
1Division of Structural Biology, Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK.
Virus Evolution
|February 18, 2020
Summary
Structure-based phylogenetic analysis reveals conserved protein architecture, aiding the study of viral protein function and ancestry even with low sequence similarity. This method helps overcome challenges in cell and pathogen biology research.
Area of Science:
- Structural biology
- Virology
- Bioinformatics
Background:
- Understanding protein function from structure is crucial in cell and pathogen biology.
- Low sequence homology often obscures evolutionary relationships and functional similarities between proteins.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the utility of structure-based phylogenetic analysis.
- To demonstrate its application in inferring viral protein function and ancestry.
Main Methods:
- Structure-based phylogenetic analysis.
- Detection and quantification of conserved architectural properties in proteins.
- Comparative analysis of viral protein structures.
Main Results:
- Identified conserved architectural properties between proteins with low sequence homology.
- Demonstrated the power of structural comparisons over sequence-based methods.
- Provided examples of inferring common functionality and ancestry from structure.
Conclusions:
- Structure-based phylogenetic analysis is a powerful tool for understanding protein relationships.
- This approach is particularly valuable for viral proteins where sequence homology is limited.
- It facilitates the inference of function and evolutionary history.
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