Computational Workflow for the Prediction and Design of Stable Proteins

This thesis focuses on enriching computational tools for the prediction of protein mutations for the purpose of enriching their stability. Stable mutants of proteins are necessary for the development of the new drugs. Unfortunately, experimental validation of the stabilization effect of given mutations is costly and time demanding. Therefore, the FireProt tool was developed.  FireProt utilizes a combination of both evolutionary and energy-based approaches for identifying potentially stabilizing mutations. This thesis enriches the FireProt tool with the possibility of entering custom mutations for the analysis. It also integrates other prediction software, FireProt ASR, and provides user with an option to select multiple mutational strategies for the detection of stabilizing mutations. Furthermore, it enriches the FireProt tool with another information about proteins residues (for instance relative B-factor) and makes it possible to utilize homology modeling to model the protein's structure based on its sequence. Lastly, it introduces a novel approach for the design of multiple-point mutants.

Protein engineering, amino acid mutation, protein stability, stability prediction, multiple-point mutants