AGGRESCAN: a server for the prediction and evaluation of "hot spots" of aggregation in polypeptides

Background: Protein aggregation correlates with the development of several debilitating human disorders of growing incidence, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. On the biotechnological side, protein production is often hampered by the accumulation of recombinant proteins into aggregates. Thus, the development of methods to anticipate the aggregation properties of polypeptides is receiving increasing attention. AGGRESCAN is a web-based software for the prediction of aggregation-prone segments in protein sequences, the analysis of the effect of mutations on protein aggregation propensities and the comparison of the aggregation properties of different proteins or protein sets. Results: AGGRESCAN is based on an aggregation-propensity scale for natural amino acids derived from in vivo experiments and on the assumption that short and specific sequence stretches modulate protein aggregation. The algorithm is shown to identify a series of protein fragments involved in the...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2007
• Where: BMCBI
• Authors: Oscar Conchillo-Solé, Natalia S. de Groot, Francesc X. Avilés, Josep Vendrell, Xavier Daura, Salvador Ventura
• Keywords: Aggregation Properties, BMCBI 2007, Protein Aggregation, Proteins