Target-DBPPred: An intelligent model for prediction of DNA-binding proteins using discrete wavelet transform based compression and light eXtreme gradient boosting

A bi-layer model for identification of piwiRNA using deep neural learning

piwiRNA is a kind of non-coding RNA (ncRNA) that cannot be translated into proteins. It helps in understanding the study of gametes generation and regulation of gene expression over both transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. piwiRNA has the function of instructing deadenylation, animal fertility, silencing transposons, fighting viruses, and regulating endogenous genes. Due to the great significance of piwiRNA, prediction of piwiRNA is essential for crucial cellular functions. Several predictors were established for prediction of piwiRNA. However, improving the prediction of piwiRNA is highly desirable. In the current study, we developed a more promising predictor named, BLP-piwiRNA. The features are explored by reverse complement k-mer, gapped-k-mer composition, and k-mer composition. The feature set of all descriptors is fused and the best features are selected by cascade and relief feature selection strategies. The best feature sets are provided to random forest (RF), deep neural network (DNN), and support vector machine (SVM). The models validation are examined by 10-fold test. DNN with optimal features of Cascade feature selection approach secured the highest prediction results. The results illustrate that BLP-piwiRNA effectively outperforms the existing studies. The proposed approach would be beneficial for both research community and drug development industry. BLP-piwiRNA would serve as novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets for tumor diagnostics and treatment.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

ProkDBP: Toward more precise identification of prokaryotic DNA binding proteins

Prokaryotic DNA binding proteins (DBPs) play pivotal roles in governing gene regulation, DNA replication, and various cellular functions. Accurate computational models for predicting prokaryotic DBPs hold immense promise in accelerating the discovery of novel proteins, fostering a deeper understanding of prokaryotic biology, and facilitating the development of therapeutics targeting for potential disease interventions. However, existing generic prediction models often exhibit lower accuracy in predicting prokaryotic DBPs. To address this gap, we introduce ProkDBP, a novel machine learning-driven computational model for prediction of prokaryotic DBPs. For prediction, a total of nine shallow learning algorithms and five deep learning models were utilized, with the shallow learning models demonstrating higher performance metrics compared to their deep learning counterparts. The light gradient boosting machine (LGBM), coupled with evolutionarily significant features selected via random forest variable importance measure (RF-VIM) yielded the highest five-fold cross-validation accuracy. The model achieved the highest auROC (0.9534) and auPRC (0.9575) among the 14 machine learning models evaluated. Additionally, ProkDBP demonstrated substantial performance with an independent dataset, exhibiting higher values of auROC (0.9332) and auPRC (0.9371). Notably, when benchmarked against several cutting-edge existing models, ProkDBP showcased superior predictive accuracy. Furthermore, to promote accessibility and usability, ProkDBP (https://iasri-sg.icar.gov.in/prokdbp/) is available as an online prediction tool, enabling free access to interested users. This tool stands as a significant contribution, enhancing the repertoire of resources for accurate and efficient prediction of prokaryotic DBPs.

DEEP-EP: Identification of epigenetic protein by ensemble residual convolutional neural network for drug discovery

Epigenetic proteins (EP) play a role in the progression of a wide range of diseases, including autoimmune disorders, neurological disorders, and cancer. Recognizing their different functions has prompted researchers to investigate them as potential therapeutic targets and pharmacological targets. This paper proposes a novel deep learning-based model that accurately predicts EP. This study introduces a novel deep learning-based model that accurately predicts EP. Our approach entails generating two distinct datasets for training and evaluating the model. We then use three distinct strategies to transform protein sequences to numerical representations: Dipeptide Deviation from Expected Mean (DDE), Dipeptide Composition (DPC), and Group Amino Acid (GAAC). Following that, we train and compare the performance of four advanced deep learning models algorithms: Ensemble Residual Convolutional Neural Network (ERCNN), Generative Adversarial Network (GAN), Convolutional Neural Network (CNN), and Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU). The DDE encoding combined with the ERCNN model demonstrates the best performance on both datasets. This study demonstrates deep learning's potential for precisely predicting EP, which can considerably accelerate research and streamline drug discovery efforts. This analytical method has the potential to find new therapeutic targets and advance our understanding of EP activities in disease.

An ensemble computational model for prediction of clathrin protein by coupling machine learning with discrete cosine transform

Clathrin protein (CP) plays a pivotal role in numerous cellular processes, including endocytosis, signal transduction, and neuronal function. Dysregulation of CP has been associated with a spectrum of diseases. Given its involvement in various cellular functions, CP has garnered significant attention for its potential applications in drug design and medicine, ranging from targeted drug delivery to addressing viral infections, neurological disorders, and cancer. The accurate identification of CP is crucial for unraveling its function and devising novel therapeutic strategies. Computational methods offer a rapid, cost-effective, and less labor-intensive alternative to traditional identification methods, making them especially appealing for high-throughput screening. This paper introduces CL-Pred, a novel computational method for CP identification. CL-Pred leverages three feature descriptors: Dipeptide Deviation from Expected Mean (DDE), Bigram Position Specific Scoring Matrix (BiPSSM), and Position Specific Scoring Matrix-Tetra Slice-Discrete Cosine Transform (PSSM-TS-DCT). The model is trained using three classifiers: Support Vector Machine (SVM), Extremely Randomized Tree (ERT), and Light eXtreme Gradient Boosting (LiXGB). Notably, the LiXGB-based model achieves outstanding performance, demonstrating accuracies of 94.63% and 93.65% on the training and testing datasets, respectively. The proposed CL-Pred method is poised to significantly advance our comprehension of clathrin-mediated endocytosis, cellular physiology, and disease pathogenesis. Furthermore, it holds promise for identifying potential drug targets across a spectrum of diseases.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Deep-VEGF: deep stacked ensemble model for prediction of vascular endothelial growth factor by concatenating gated recurrent unit with two-dimensional convolutional neural network

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is involved in the development and progression of various diseases, including cancer, diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration and arthritis. Understanding the role of VEGF in various disorders has led to the development of effective treatments, including anti-VEGF drugs, which have significantly improved therapeutic methods. Accurate VEGF identification is critical, yet experimental identification is expensive and time-consuming. This study presents Deep-VEGF, a novel computational model for VEGF prediction based on deep-stacked ensemble learning. We formulated two datasets using primary sequences. A novel feature descriptor named K-Space Tri Slicing-Bigram position-specific scoring metrix (KSTS-BPSSM) is constructed to extract numerical features from primary sequences. The model training is performed by deep learning techniques, including gated recurrent unit (GRU), generative adversarial network (GAN) and convolutional neural network (CNN). The GRU and CNN are ensembled using stacking learning approach. KSTS-BPSSM-based ensemble model secured the most accurate predictive outcomes, surpassing other competitive predictors across both training and testing datasets. This demonstrates the potential of leveraging deep learning for accurate VEGF prediction as a powerful tool to accelerate research, streamline drug discovery and uncover novel therapeutic targets. This insightful approach holds promise for expanding our knowledge of VEGF's role in health and disease.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Machine learning-based model for accurate identification of druggable proteins using light extreme gradient boosting

The identification of druggable proteins (DPs) is significant for the development of new drugs, personalized medicine, understanding of disease mechanisms, drug repurposing, and economic benefits. By identifying new druggable targets, researchers can develop new therapies for a range of diseases, leading to better patient outcomes. Identification of DPs by machine learning strategies is more efficient and cost-effective than conventional methods. In this study, a computational predictor, namely Drug-LXGB, is introduced to enhance the identification of DPs. Features are discovered by composition, transition, and distribution (CTD), composition of K-spaced amino acid pair (CKSAAP), pseudo-position-specific scoring matrix (PsePSSM), and a novel descriptor, called multi-block pseudo amino acid composition (MB-PseAAC). The dimensions of CTD, CKSAAP, PsePSSM, and MB-PseAAC are integrated and utilized the sequential forward selection as feature selection algorithm. The best characteristics are provided by random forest, extreme gradient boosting, and light eXtreme gradient boosting (LXGB). The predictive analysis of these learning methods is measured via 10-fold cross-validation. The LXGB-based model secures the highest results than other existing predictors. Our novel protocol will perform an active role in designing novel drugs and would be fruitful to explore the potential target. This study will help better to capture a more universal view of a potential target.Communicated by Ramaswamy H. Sarma.

Deep-AGP: Prediction of angiogenic protein by integrating two-dimensional convolutional neural network with discrete cosine transform

Angiogenic proteins (AGPs) play a primary role in the formation of new blood vessels from pre-existing ones. AGPs have diverse applications in cancer, including serving as biomarkers, guiding anti-angiogenic therapies, and aiding in tumor imaging. Understanding the role of AGPs in cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases is vital for developing new diagnostic tools and therapeutic approaches. Considering the significance of AGPs, in this research, we first time established a computational model using deep learning for identifying AGPs. First, we constructed a sequence-based dataset. Second, we explored features by designing a novel feature encoder, called position-specific scoring matrix-decomposition-discrete cosine transform (PSSM-DC-DCT) and existing descriptors including Dipeptide Deviation from Expected Mean (DDE) and bigram-position-specific scoring matrix (Bi-PSSM). Third, each feature set is fed into two-dimensional convolutional neural network (2D-CNN) and machine learning classifiers. Finally, the performance of each learning model is validated by 10-fold cross-validation (CV). The experimental results demonstrate that 2D-CNN with proposed novel feature descriptor achieved the highest success rate on both training and testing datasets. In addition to being an accurate predictor for identification of angiogenic proteins, our proposed method (Deep-AGP) might be fruitful in understanding cancer, cardiovascular, and neurodegenerative diseases, development of their novel therapeutic methods and drug designing.

Recent Advances in Machine Learning-Based Models for Prediction of Antiviral Peptides

Viruses have killed and infected millions of people across the world. It causes several chronic diseases like COVID-19, HIV, and hepatitis. To cope with such diseases and virus infections, antiviral peptides (AVPs) have been applied in the design of drugs. Keeping in view the significant role in pharmaceutical industry and other research fields, identification of AVPs is highly indispensable. In this connection, experimental and computational methods were proposed to identify AVPs. However, more accurate predictors for boosting AVPs identification are highly desirable. This work presents a thorough study and reports the available predictors of AVPs. We explained applied datasets, feature representation approaches, classification algorithms, and evaluation parameters of performance. In this study, the limitations of the existing studies and the best methods were emphasized. Provided the pros and cons of the applied classifiers. The future insights demonstrate efficient feature encoding approaches, best feature optimization schemes, and effective classification techniques that can improve the performance of novel method for accurate prediction of AVPs.

Prediction of antifreeze proteins using machine learning

Living organisms including fishes, microbes, and animals can live in extremely cold weather. To stay alive in cold environments, these species generate antifreeze proteins (AFPs), also referred to as ice-binding proteins. Moreover, AFPs are extensively utilized in many important fields including medical, agricultural, industrial, and biotechnological. Several predictors were constructed to identify AFPs. However, due to the sequence and structural heterogeneity of AFPs, correct identification is still a challenging task. It is highly desirable to develop a more promising predictor. In this research, a novel computational method, named AFP-LXGB has been proposed for prediction of AFPs more precisely. The information is explored by Dipeptide Composition (DPC), Grouped Amino Acid Composition (GAAC), Position Specific Scoring Matrix-Segmentation-Autocorrelation Transformation (Sg-PSSM-ACT), and Pseudo Position Specific Scoring Matrix Tri-Slicing (PseTS-PSSM). Keeping the benefits of ensemble learning, these feature sets are concatenated into different combinations. The best feature set is selected by Extremely Randomized Tree-Recursive Feature Elimination (ERT-RFE). The models are trained by Light eXtreme Gradient Boosting (LXGB), Random Forest (RF), and Extremely Randomized Tree (ERT). Among classifiers, LXGB has obtained the best prediction results. The novel method (AFP-LXGB) improved the accuracies by 3.70% and 4.09% than the best methods. These results verified that AFP-LXGB can predict AFPs more accurately and can participate in a significant role in medical, agricultural, industrial, and biotechnological fields.

DBP-iDWT: Improving DNA-Binding Proteins Prediction Using Multi-Perspective Evolutionary Profile and Discrete Wavelet Transform

DNA-binding proteins (DBPs) have crucial biotic activities including DNA replication, recombination, and transcription. DBPs are highly concerned with chronic diseases and are used in the manufacturing of antibiotics and steroids. A series of predictors were established to identify DBPs. However, researchers are still working to further enhance the identification of DBPs. This research designed a novel predictor to identify DBPs more accurately. The features from the sequences are transformed by F-PSSM (Filtered position-specific scoring matrix), PSSM-DPC (Position specific scoring matrix-dipeptide composition), and R-PSSM (Reduced position-specific scoring matrix). To eliminate the noisy attributes, we extended DWT (discrete wavelet transform) to F-PSSM, PSSM-DPC, and R-PSSM and introduced three novel descriptors, namely, F-PSSM-DWT, PSSM-DPC-DWT, and R-PSSM-DWT. Onward, the training of the four models were performed using LiXGB (Light eXtreme gradient boosting), XGB (eXtreme gradient boosting, ERT (extremely randomized trees), and Adaboost. LiXGB with R-PSSM-DWT has attained 6.55% higher accuracy on training and 5.93% on testing dataset than the best existing predictors. The results reveal the excellent performance of our novel predictor over the past studies. DBP-iDWT would be fruitful for establishing more operative therapeutic strategies for fatal disease treatment.