Systematic Detection of Internal Symmetry in Proteins Using CE-Symm

In our latest paper, "Systematic Detection of Internal Symmetry in Proteins Using CE-Symm", we are taking a look at how internal symmetry in proteins is related to protein function. A large number of proteins have symmetry not only in their biological assemblies, but also within their tertiary structures. To investigate the question of how internal symmetry evolved, how symmetry and function are related, and the overall frequency of internal symmetry, we developed a new algorithm that can detect pseudo-symmetry within tertiary structures of proteins. Our results indicate that more domains are pseudo-symmetric than previously estimated. We establish a number of recurring types of symmetry–function relationships and describe several characteristic cases in detail.

Read more over at JMB.

Several protein domains with internal symmetry that CE-Symm detects. Coloring is by symmetry unit.