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Question about DNA science

Posted on 2/8/19 at 3:58 pm
Posted by baybeefeetz
Member since Sep 2009
32973 posts
Posted on 2/8/19 at 3:58 pm
How far do you think we are from the point where DNA science plus computers can produce a picture or 3D model of how a creature looks just from its DNA?

Scientists have sequenced the genome of some extinct hominids. So at some point does that mean we'll know exactly what dinosaurs looked like, or exactly what Neanderthals looked like?

I obviously don't know anything, but y'all all always know so much ....
Posted by Spock's Eyebrow
Member since May 2012
12300 posts
Posted on 2/8/19 at 4:09 pm to
Even predicting the tertiary structure of a protein from its sequence of amino acids remains an unsolved problem, so no.
Posted by iAmBatman
The Batcave
Member since Mar 2011
12382 posts
Posted on 2/8/19 at 4:10 pm to
quote:

Even predicting the tertiary structure of a protein from its sequence of amino acids remains an unsolved problem, so no.



I have no idea WTF you just said but it sounds great so have an upvote
Posted by Spock's Eyebrow
Member since May 2012
12300 posts
Posted on 2/8/19 at 4:18 pm to
A protein is a linear sequence of simple building blocks called amino acids. In vivo, they fold into complex 3D shapes that enable their functionality. For example, an enzyme will have an "active site" where the catalysis takes place, and it can be brought together by the twisting and folding of distant places along the linear structure. We still can't take an arbitrary string of amino acids and predict what the protein will look like and do in vivo, which would be incredibly useful to be able to do.
Posted by baybeefeetz
Member since Sep 2009
32973 posts
Posted on 2/8/19 at 4:20 pm to
Yeah that shite sounds right!
Posted by TheLSUriot
Clear Lake, TX
Member since Oct 2007
1581 posts
Posted on 2/8/19 at 5:01 pm to
Computer modeling exists that can generally predict what a protein would look like by taking into account characteristics such as hydrophobic/hydrophilic regions, alpha helixes, beta sheets, potential disulfide bridges. There was a project out of Stanford that used PS3s (when they first come out) from around the world for computing power that did just that, model protein structures given random AA sequences.
Posted by geauxtigahs87
Louisiana
Member since Dec 2008
26689 posts
Posted on 2/8/19 at 5:16 pm to
quote:

How far do you think we are from the point where DNA science plus computers can produce a picture or 3D model of how a creature looks just from its DNA?

Not even close

We can pinpoint where in the genomic sequence alot of things are, but there are huge areas of the genome where we have no fricking clue what it codes for.
Posted by Spock's Eyebrow
Member since May 2012
12300 posts
Posted on 2/8/19 at 7:29 pm to
quote:

There was a project out of Stanford that used PS3s (when they first come out) from around the world for computing power that did just that, model protein structures given random AA sequences.


It still seems to be quite limited in scope:

De novo protein structure prediction

quote:

In computational biology, de novo protein structure prediction refers to an algorithmic process by which protein tertiary structure is predicted from its amino acid primary sequence. The problem itself has occupied leading scientists for decades while still remaining unsolved. According to Science, the problem remains one of the top 125 outstanding issues in modern science.[1] At present, some of the most successful methods have a reasonable probability of predicting the folds of small, single-domain proteins within 1.5 angstroms over the entire structure.[2]

De novo methods tend to require vast computational resources, and have thus only been carried out for relatively small proteins. De novo protein structure modeling is distinguished from Template-based modeling (TBM) by the fact that no solved homolog to the protein of interest is used, making efforts to predict protein structure from amino acid sequence exceedingly difficult. Prediction of protein structure de novo for larger proteins will require better algorithms and larger computational resources such as those afforded by either powerful supercomputers (such as Blue Gene or MDGRAPE-3) or distributed computing projects (such as Folding@home, Rosetta@home, the Human Proteome Folding Project, or Nutritious Rice for the World).
Posted by dbeck
Member since Nov 2014
29454 posts
Posted on 2/8/19 at 8:39 pm to
AI will show us an accurate picture of what dinosaurs looked like right before they club us over the head like the last dodo.
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