Posted 2/14/2024, 8:02:31 PM
Online Mentorship Sparks Discovery of Novel Proteins With Potential New Functions
- Researchers mentored Chinese students online during COVID, unexpectedly leading to new research on protein evolution
- Study suggested proteins can fold randomly, challenging view that new proteins rarely emerge
- Team used 3 AI tools to predict structures of "orphan" proteins lacking equivalents in other species
- AI tools indicated 5 of 7 orphans were compactly folded, 2 lacked structure
- Research hints orphan proteins may have novel functions, like breaking down plastics or generating energy