Automated modelling of multimeric protein complexes from heterogeneous structures [Elektronische Ressource] / presented by: Chad Davis

Dissertation submitted to the Combined Faculties for the Natural Sciences and for Mathematics of the Ruperto-Carola University of Heidelberg, Germany for the degree of Doctor of Natural Sciences Presented by: Chad Davis, B.S.Eng., M.Sc.Place of birth: California, USAOral examination: 2010-11-30Automated modelling of multimeric protein complexes from heterogeneous structuresReferees:Dr. SteinmetzProf. Dr. Wieland3AbstractProtein interaction networks provide an increasingly complex picture of the relationships between macromolecules in the cell. Complementing these interactions with structural data provides critical insights into interaction mechanisms. However, structural information is available only for a tiny fraction of protein interactions and complexes currently known. To address this gap, we have developed a method to predict macromolecular complex structures by systematic combination of pairwise interactions of known structure. We first identify all interactions within a network that are of known structure or sufficiently similar to known structure to permit homology modelling. We then use these structural constraints to construct models of complexes.