Proteins are usually represented by their folded three-dimensional structure. Yet, this structure reveals only limited information about the function of proteins. In collaboration with the groups of Rama Ranganathan (University of Texas, Dallas) and Stanislas Leibler (Rockefeller University, New York), we introduced the concept of protein “sector”, which leads to a representation of proteins that better reflects their functional properties. These sectors are derived from a statistical analysis of sequences generated through evolution. par I will present our approach and explain how it contributes to our understanding of proteins.

Laboratoire Interdisciplinaire de Physique, Grenoble