'Protein-protein' interactions are the basis of all cellular functions. Cellular protein interaction networks are extremly complex. Advances in our understanding of protein protein interactions and how they influence biological systems have so far been limited due to the need of time consuming and costly experimental approaches. Google DeepMind has in 2021 released an algorithm called AlphaFold2 (AF2) that allows de novo protein structure prediction for single proteins and (to some extent) for protein complexes. This is currently changing biological research far beyond protein structure analysis. Using AF2, we can now predict protein interaction networks and thus improve our understanding of biological system.
We currently test the applicability of AF2 for research in different domains of molecular biology with the aim to predict new protein protein interactions and their modulation through protein modifications.