ConSurf 2005: the projection of evolutionary conservation scores of residues on protein structures

Key amino acid positions that are important for maintaining the 3D structure of a protein and/or its function(s), e.g. catalytic activity, binding to ligand, DNA or other proteins, are often under strong evolutionary constraints. Thus, the biological importance of a residue often correlates with its level of evolutionary conservation within the protein family. ConSurf (http://consurf.tau.ac.il/) is a web-based tool that automatically calculates evolutionary conservation scores and maps them on protein structures via a user-friendly interface. Structurally and functionally important regions in the protein typically appear as patches of evolutionarily conserved residues that are spatially close to each other. We…

• NS
  National Science Foundation
• IC
  Israel Cancer Research Fund
• IS
  Israel Science Foundation
• TA
  Tel Aviv University
• DO
  Division of Undergraduate Education