Researchers at the University of Queensland have used artificial intelligence to build 3D maps of key cellular components to better understand dementia and infectious diseases, including COVID-19.
Professor Brett Collins of the UQ Institute for Molecular Biology and Pete Cullen of the University of Bristol led a team that modeled a 16-subunit commander complex, a bundle of proteins that functions as a “postal worker” in cells. board.
“Just as the postal system has processes to transport and sort parcels, cells in our bodies have molecular machines to transport and sort proteins,” Collins says.
“Freight transport is all about getting the right cargo to the right destination at the right time, and inside the cell, the commander complex controls this system so that the right amount of protein goes to the right place. We will make sure it is delivered.”
This protein transport system is involved in many diseases such as heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and infectious diseases.
“Knowing the 3D shape of these proteins will help us understand how they function, why mutations cause disease, and how to design drugs to target them in the future. It helps,” Collins said.
“Viruses such as SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, and human papillomavirus (HPV), which can cause cancer, require the commander complex to infect cells. , the commander complex is thought to be involved in amyloid protein trafficking in Alzheimer’s disease’.
“Mutations in the commander complex interfere with the transport of lipids into cells and cause high cholesterol and heart defects in people with the rare Richter-Scinzel syndrome, which is characterized by intellectual disability and developmental delay.
“Knowing the structure of the commander complex means we can better understand how this happens and advance our understanding of how it is involved in disease.”
An international team used state-of-the-art electron microscopy and machine learning techniques to decipher the structure of the entire commander protein complex.
Professor Cullen said that without these new technologies, mapping the complete structure of the commander complex would not have been possible even two years ago.
The team also included Dr. Michael Healy from IMB, Dr. Kelly McNally from Cambridge University, and Rebecca Butkovic and Molly Chilton from Bristol University.
This research was funded by organizations such as the National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia), the Medical Research Council (UK), and the Wellcome Trust.
The study is published in the journal Cell.
Video: https://youtu.be/CnLqBNh96sU
