GoKawiilAlphaFold database adds 8,000+ viral protein complex structures
EMBL-EBI's AlphaFold Protein Structure Database has been expanded with more than 8,000 predicted structures of interacting protein pairs from viruses spanning 23 families that infect humans, including monkeypox virus. The addition, part of a new 'pandemic preparedness portal', builds on an earlier 2024 update that added 1.7 million interacting protein pairs from 20 organisms such as humans and tuberculosis bacteria.
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Viral proteins often function as paired or multi-part complexes rather than in isolation, according to molecular virologist Joe Grove of the University of Glasgow, so structures of single proteins alone may have limited use for understanding viral biology or drug design. Filling this gap could help researchers studying poorly characterized viruses, such as flaviviruses like Zika and dengue, whose polyprotein processing has made individual structure prediction difficult, and may support faster identification of drug targets during future outbreaks.
- Over 8,000 viral protein-pair structures added covering 23 human-infecting virus families
- Addition launches a new 'pandemic preparedness portal' within the AlphaFold database
- Builds on an earlier 2024 expansion that added 1.7 million protein complexes from 20 organisms
Source: nature.com — Callaway, 2026-09-24
Published there as: “AlphaFold 'goes viral': database adds protein complexes of common viruses”
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