Template-based identification of protein–protein interfaces using eFindSitePPI

Abstract

Protein–protein interactions orchestrate virtually all cellular processes, therefore, their exhaustive exploration is essential for the comprehensive understanding of cellular networks. A reliable identification of interfacial residues is vital not only to infer the function of individual proteins and their assembly into biological complexes, but also to elucidate the molecular and physicochemical basis of interactions between proteins. With the exponential growth of protein sequence data, computational approaches for detecting protein interface sites have drawn an increased interest. In this communication, we discuss the major features of eFindSitePPI, a recently developed template-based method for interface residue prediction available at http://brylinski.cct.lsu.edu/efindsiteppi. We describe the requirements and installation procedures for the stand-alone version, and explain the content and format of output data. Furthermore, the functionality of the eFindSitePPI web application that is designed to provide a simple and convenient access for the scientific community is presented with illustrative examples. Finally, we discuss common problems encountered in predicting protein interfaces and set forth directions for the future development of eFindSitePPI.