Geometric Graph Learning to Predict Changes in Binding Free Energy and Protein Thermodynamic Stability upon Mutation

J Phys Chem Lett. 2023 Dec 14;14(49):10870-10879. doi: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c02679. Epub 2023 Nov 30.

Abstract

Accurate prediction of binding free energy changes upon mutations is vital for optimizing drugs, designing proteins, understanding genetic diseases, and cost-effective virtual screening. While machine learning methods show promise in this domain, achieving accuracy and generalization across diverse data sets remains a challenge. This study introduces Geometric Graph Learning for Protein-Protein Interactions (GGL-PPI), a novel approach integrating geometric graph representation and machine learning to forecast mutation-induced binding free energy changes. GGL-PPI leverages atom-level graph coloring and multiscale weighted colored geometric subgraphs to capture structural features of biomolecules, demonstrating superior performance on three standard data sets, namely, AB-Bind, SKEMPI 1.0, and SKEMPI 2.0 data sets. The model's efficacy extends to predicting protein thermodynamic stability in a blind test set, providing unbiased predictions for both direct and reverse mutations and showcasing notable generalization. GGL-PPI's precision in predicting changes in binding free energy and stability due to mutations enhances our comprehension of protein complexes, offering valuable insights for drug design endeavors.

MeSH terms

  • Machine Learning*
  • Mutation
  • Protein Binding
  • Proteins* / chemistry
  • Thermodynamics

Substances

  • Proteins