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Translating proteins into music, and back

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Summary

MIT researchers have developed a system for translating the molecular structures of proteins into audible sound that resembles musical passages, and then using an artificial intelligence system to introduce variations and convert the sounds back into new proteins that have never been seen in nature. This offers a new way of understanding and exploring the many possible tweaks and modifications of proteins and their functions. The system translates amino acid sequences into musical sequences that utilize pitch, volume, and duration, and the team has created a smartphone app to play the sounds of amino acids and record protein sequences as musical compositions. The research could help in understanding genetic diseases caused by misfolded proteins.

Q&As

What is the purpose of the study conducted by MIT researchers?
The purpose of the study conducted by MIT researchers is to gain insight into protein structures and create new variations by turning molecular structures into sounds.

How does the system developed by Markus Buehler and his team work?
The system developed by Markus Buehler and his team translates the 20 types of amino acids, the building blocks that join together in chains to form all proteins, into a 20-tone scale. Any protein’s long sequence of amino acids then becomes a sequence of notes. The team then used an artificial intelligence system to study the catalog of melodies produced by a wide variety of different proteins. They had the AI system introduce slight changes in the musical sequence or create completely new sequences, and then translated the sounds back into proteins that correspond to the modified or newly designed versions.

What are the potential applications of this system?
The potential applications of this system include understanding proteins and their vast array of variations, exploring the many possible tweaks and modifications of their structure and function, and creating new proteins unlike any produced by evolution.

What advantages does this system have over other methods?
The advantages of this system over other methods include that it can produce a design for a new variant within microseconds and that it can encode the language of how proteins are designed.

How can this system be used to create new proteins never before seen in nature?
This system can be used to create new proteins never before seen in nature by introducing slight changes in the musical sequence or creating completely new sequences and then translating the sounds back into proteins that correspond to the modified or newly designed versions.

AI Comments

👍 This new system is a remarkable marriage of science and art, providing a systematic way of translating a protein’s sequence of amino acids into a musical sequence and creating new proteins never before seen in nature!

👎 While this system is intriguing, it does not allow for any kind of directed modifications and any changes in properties such as mechanical strength, elasticity, or chemical reactivity will be essentially random.

AI Discussion

Me: It's about how researchers at MIT have developed a system for converting the molecular structures of proteins into audible sound that resembles musical passages. Then, reversing the process, they can introduce some variations into the music and convert it back into new proteins never before seen in nature.

Friend: Wow, that's really cool! What are the implications of this?

Me: The new system provides a systematic way of translating a protein’s sequence of amino acids into a musical sequence, so that researchers can gain new insights into the relationships and differences between different families of proteins and their variations, which could help them to explore the many possible tweaks and modifications of their structure and function. It could also help them to design new proteins with specific properties. The researchers also created a free Android smartphone app to play the sounds of amino acids and record protein sequences as musical compositions.

Action items

Download the Amino Acid Synthesizer app and explore the musical compositions generated from amino acid sequences.
Research the potential applications of this new method for understanding genetic diseases caused by misfolded proteins.
Experiment with introducing slight changes in the musical sequence or creating completely new sequences and translating them back into proteins.

Technical terms

Proteins: Large molecules made up of chains of amino acids that are essential for the structure and function of all living organisms.
Amino Acids: Organic molecules that are the building blocks of proteins.
Quantum Chemistry: The branch of chemistry that studies the behavior of matter and energy at the atomic and subatomic level.
AI System: Artificial intelligence system, a computer system that is designed to mimic human intelligence.
Beta Sheet: A type of protein structure that is formed by the folding of a protein chain.
Alpha Helix: A type of protein structure that is formed by the folding of a protein chain.
Hierarchical: A system of organization in which each level is subordinate to a higher level.
Percussive: Producing a sharp, ringing sound.
Rhythmic: Having a regular, repeated pattern of sound or movement.
Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives License: A type of license that allows for the use of copyrighted material for non-commercial purposes, as long as the material is not modified or used to create derivative works.