{"version":1,"type":"story","url":"https://digestai.news/story/pred-mutpri-predicts-mutation-induced-binding-free-energy-changes-in-p","json":"https://digestai.news/story/pred-mutpri-predicts-mutation-induced-binding-free-energy-changes-in-p.json","markdown":"https://digestai.news/story/pred-mutpri-predicts-mutation-induced-binding-free-energy-changes-in-p.md","slug":"pred-mutpri-predicts-mutation-induced-binding-free-energy-changes-in-p","headline":"Pred-MutPRI predicts mutation-induced binding free energy changes in protein–RNA complexes","summary":"Pred-MutPRI is a physics‑informed machine‑learning framework that estimates ΔΔG values for mutations in protein–RNA complexes. The authors curated a unified dataset of experimentally measured ΔΔG values and introduced thermodynamic permutation to generate cycle‑consistent training pairs, reducing mutation‑class bias.\n\nThe model blends conventional structure‑derived descriptors with weighted atom‑level interaction networks that encode the local binding microenvironment. It also incorporates a masked ESM‑2 entropy term and an AlphaFold3‑derived local effective strain descriptor. Using an XGBoost regressor, Pred‑MutPRI achieves a Pearson correlation coefficient of 0.705 on a sequence‑disjoint, structurally low‑overlap blind test set, outperforming existing predictors.\n\nThe Python package and dataset are publicly available on GitHub, enabling researchers to apply the framework to their own protein–RNA mutation studies.","keyPoints":["Pred-MutPRI uses physics-informed ML to predict ΔΔG for protein–RNA mutations","The model combines structure descriptors, atom‑level networks, ESM‑2 entropy, and AlphaFold3 strain features","On a blind test set, Pred‑MutPRI reaches PCC = 0.705, beating existing predictors"],"whyItMatters":"Accurate ΔΔG predictions help understand gene regulation and guide drug design targeting protein–RNA interactions.","category":{"slug":"research","name":"Research","url":"https://digestai.news/category/research"},"entities":{"companies":[],"models":["Pred-MutPRI"],"people":["Xu, W.","Zhang, H.","Zhao, X.","Y.J.Z."]},"firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-26T00:00:00Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-26T00:00:00Z","sourceCount":1,"hasPrimarySource":true,"sources":[{"outlet":"Nature Machine Learning","title":"Physics informed machine learning predicts binding free energy changes in protein-RNA complexes upon mutations","url":"https://nature.com/articles/s42003-026-10948-9","publishedAt":"2026-09-26T00:00:00Z","type":"primary","primary":true,"lead":true}],"sourceNotes":null,"discussions":[],"thread":null,"cite":{"text":"Digest AI, \"Pred-MutPRI predicts mutation-induced binding free energy changes in protein–RNA complexes\", 26 September 2026, https://digestai.news/story/pred-mutpri-predicts-mutation-induced-binding-free-energy-changes-in-p","publisher":"Digest AI","title":"Pred-MutPRI predicts mutation-induced binding free energy changes in protein–RNA complexes","datePublished":"2026-09-26T00:00:00Z","url":"https://digestai.news/story/pred-mutpri-predicts-mutation-induced-binding-free-energy-changes-in-p"},"generatedBy":"Written by Digest AI's editorial model from the linked sources; the sources are the record.","license":"Headlines, digests and key points are written by Digest AI and may be quoted with a link to the story page. Linked articles belong to their publishers. Terms: https://digestai.news/terms#reuse"}