The Design of Life: Information Technology, "Knapsack" and "Synprops" Used to Engineer the Sequence of Amino Acid Residues in Proteins

Abstract

An In Silico model to relate the properties of proteins to the structure, sequence, function and evolutionary history of proteins is shown. The derived ideal sequences for amino acid residues in proteins can then be considered as attractors for structures of actual protein families and their functions. Hopfield networks1 can then act as GCMs (General Content Addressable Memories) when they are trained to recall unique pre-determined states when presented with information associated with that state. The tertiary structure of proteins is determined by structurally enforced interactions between residues and they help to elucidate common motifs exhibited in proteins. The acceptance (or rejection) of substitution on the protein backbone conforms to a nonlinear response and can lead to emergent behavior.