An Algorithm for Predicting Binding Sites in Protein-Nucleic Acid Complexes

Determining the binding sites in protein-nucleic acid complexes is essential to the complete understanding of protein-nucleic acid interactions and to the development of new drugs. We have developed a set of algorithms for analyzing protein-nucleic acid interactions and for predicting potential binding sites in protein-nucleic acid complexes. The algorithms were used to analyze the hydrogen-bonding interactions in protein-RNA and protein-DNA complexes. The analysis was done both at the atomic and residue level, and discovered several interesting interaction patterns and differences between the two types of nucleic acids. The interaction patterns were used for predicting potential binding sites in new protein-RNA complexes.