Cornell researchers have used artificial intelligence to uncover a previously unknown way cells control how proteins move inside them, a process essential for growth, communication and movement, and one that is often disrupted in cancer.
The study, published Sept.9 in the Journal of Cell Biology, shows that a little-understood protein called Avl9 acts as an “off switch” for another protein, Arf1, which helps direct where materials go inside cells. Turning Arf1 off at the right time is critical as it regulates cellular transport, otherwise cells become disorganized which leads to negative effects. The researchers also found that Avl9 is part of a broader group of proteins that may perform the same function, pointing to a previously unrecognized system cells use to keep this process in balance.
Led by Chris Fromme, professor of molecular biology and genetics at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and faculty in the Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology, the team used AlphaFold, an artificial intelligence software that predicts the structures of proteins and how they might interact, to search for previously unknown partners of Arf1.
