Such predictions are, however, far from perfect and can give false results. These pairs are then ranked according to the strength of their correlation and those with the highest ranking are predicted to be in close contact.
where particular mutations at one position tend to be accompanied by certain mutations at the second position. To identify such mutations, the amino acid sequences of similar proteins from different organisms are aligned and compared.Ī computational method called ‘correlated mutation analysis’ searches for pairs of positions in the alignment that display co-variation, i.e. Such compensatory mutations are more likely to occur when the two positions in the protein are close to each other. Therefore, a mutation that affects one of these amino acids may have a large impact on the ability of the protein to work.Ī mutation at one position in the protein may, however, have little effect if it is accompanied by a ‘compensatory’ mutation at another position. Some amino acids interact with other amino acids in the chain, thereby enabling the protein to adopt the three-dimensional shape it needs to work properly. A small mutation in a particular codon can change the amino acid found at the corresponding position in the protein.
The instructions are encoded in units called codons that each specify a single amino acid in the chain. Genes contain instructions to make proteins from building blocks called amino acids.
