Structural landscapes of PPI interfaces.

Carlos H M Rodrigues; Douglas E V Pires; Tom L Blundell; David B Ascher
Abstract
Proteins are capable of highly specific interactions and are responsible for a wide range of functions, making them attractive in the pursuit of new therapeutic options. Previous studies focusing on overall geometry of protein-protein interfaces, however, concluded that PPI interfaces were generally flat. More recently, this idea has been challenged by their structural and thermodynamic characterisation, suggesting the existence of concave binding sites that are closer in character to traditional small-molecule binding sites, rather than exhibiting complete flatness. Here, we present a large-scale analysis of binding geometry and physicochemical properties of all protein-protein interfaces available in the Protein Data Bank. In this review, we provide a comprehensive overview of the protein-protein interface landscape, including evidence that even for overall larger, more flat interfaces that utilize discontinuous interacting regions, small and potentially druggable pockets are utilized at binding sites.
Journal BRIEFINGS IN BIOINFORMATICS
ISSN 1477-4054
Published 18 Jul 2022
Volume 23
Issue 4
Pages
DOI 10.1093/bib/bbac165
Type Journal Article | Review | Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Sponsorship