Flexible protein-protein docking

Curr Opin Struct Biol. 2006 Apr;16(2):194-200. doi: 10.1016/j.sbi.2006.02.002. Epub 2006 Feb 17.

Abstract

Predicting the structure of protein-protein complexes using docking approaches is a difficult problem whose major challenges include identifying correct solutions, and properly dealing with molecular flexibility and conformational changes. Flexibility can be addressed at several levels: implicitly, by smoothing the protein surfaces or allowing some degree of interpenetration (soft docking) or by performing multiple docking runs from various conformations (cross or ensemble docking); or explicitly, by allowing sidechain and/or backbone flexibility. Although significant improvements have been achieved in the modeling of sidechains, methods for the explicit inclusion of backbone flexibility in docking are still being developed. A few novel approaches have emerged involving collective degrees of motion, multicopy representations and multibody docking, which should allow larger conformational changes to be modeled.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Binding Sites
  • Models, Molecular*
  • Protein Binding
  • Protein Conformation
  • Protein Interaction Mapping
  • Proteins / chemistry*

Substances

  • Proteins