Modeling repetitive, non‐globular proteins

Abstract

While ab initio modeling of protein structures is not routine, certain types of proteins are more straightforward to model than others. Proteins with short repetitive sequences typically exhibit repetitive structures. These repetitive sequences can be more amenable to modeling if some information is known about the predominant secondary structure or other key features of the protein sequence. We have successfully built models of a number of repetitive structures with novel folds using knowledge of the consensus sequence within the sequence repeat and an understanding of the likely secondary structures that these may adopt. Our methods for achieving this success are reviewed here.

Protein lipograms

“…Proteins with short repetitive sequences typically exhibit repetitive threedimensional structures, such as extended helices or B-solenoids [30]. Their function is likewise enhanced by the predominance of certain residues and these low complexity sequences have evolved to fulfill particular functions, such as membrane spanning peptides or anti-freeze proteins.…”