Functional classification of immune regulatory proteins.
Rubinstein, R., Ramagopal, U.A., Nathenson, S.G., Almo, S.C., Fiser, A.(2013) Structure 21: 766-776
- PubMed: 23583034 
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.str.2013.02.022
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:  
3RBG - PubMed Abstract: 
The members of the immunoglobulin superfamily (IgSF) control innate and adaptive immunity and are prime targets for the treatment of autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases, and malignancies. We describe a computational method, termed the Brotherhood algorithm, which utilizes intermediate sequence information to classify proteins into functionally related families. This approach identifies functional relationships within the IgSF and predicts additional receptor-ligand interactions. As a specific example, we examine the nectin/nectin-like family of cell adhesion and signaling proteins and propose receptor-ligand interactions within this family. Guided by the Brotherhood approach, we present the high-resolution structural characterization of a homophilic interaction involving the class-I MHC-restricted T-cell-associated molecule, which we now classify as a nectin-like family member. The Brotherhood algorithm is likely to have a significant impact on structural immunology by identifying those proteins and complexes for which structural characterization will be particularly informative.
Organizational Affiliation: 
Department of Biochemistry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.