From genes to protein structure and function: novel applications of computational approaches in the genomic era

The genome-sequencing projects are providing a detailed 'parts list' of lif e. A key to comprehending this list is understanding the function of each g ene and each protein at various levels. Sequence-based methods for function prediction are inadequate because of the multifunctional nature of protein s. However, just knowing the structure of the protein is also insufficient for prediction of multiple functional sites. Structural descriptors for pro tein functional sites are crucial for unlocking the secrets in both the seq uence and structural-genomics projects.