DPFunc: accurately predicting protein function via deep learning with domain-guided structure information.

Journal: Nature communications
PMID:

Abstract

Computational methods for predicting protein function are of great significance in understanding biological mechanisms and treating complex diseases. However, existing computational approaches of protein function prediction lack interpretability, making it difficult to understand the relations between protein structures and functions. In this study, we propose a deep learning-based solution, named DPFunc, for accurate protein function prediction with domain-guided structure information. DPFunc can detect significant regions in protein structures and accurately predict corresponding functions under the guidance of domain information. It outperforms current state-of-the-art methods and achieves a significant improvement over existing structure-based methods. Detailed analyses demonstrate that the guidance of domain information contributes to DPFunc for protein function prediction, enabling our method to detect key residues or regions in protein structures, which are closely related to their functions. In summary, DPFunc serves as an effective tool for large-scale protein function prediction, which pushes the border of protein understanding in biological systems.

Authors

  • Wenkang Wang
    School of Computer Science and Engineering, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410083, China.
  • Yunyan Shuai
    School of Computer Science and Engineering, Central South University, 932 South Lushan Road, Yuelu District, Changsha 410083, China.
  • Min Zeng
    Nephrology Department, Affiliated Hospital of Southern Medical University: Shenzhen Longhua New District People's Hospital, Shenzhen, China.
  • Wei Fan
    Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China.
  • Min Li
    Hubei Provincial Institute for Food Supervision and Test, Hubei Provincial Engineering and Technology Research Center for Food Quality and Safety Test, Wuhan 430075, China.