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1.

In the pairwise energy based method, a protein sequence is searched for in a structural fold database to find the best matching structural fold using ______ criteria.(a) sequence-based(b) structure-based(c) energy-based(d) residue-basedI got this question in an interview.My doubt is from Threading and Fold Recognition in section Protein Tertiary Structure Prediction of Bioinformatics

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Right answer is (c) ENERGY-based

Explanation: The detailed procedure involves aligning the query sequence with each structural fold in a fold LIBRARY. The alignment is PERFORMED essentially at the sequence profile level using DYNAMIC programming or heuristic approaches. Local alignment is often ADJUSTED to get lower energy and thus better fitting. The adjustment can be achieved using algorithms such as double-dynamic programming.

2.

Which of the following is untrue about template Selection Step?(a) The first step in protein structural modeling is to select appropriate structural templates(b) This forms the foundation for rest of the modeling process(c) There is no use of heuristic alignment search programs(d) The template selection involves searching the Protein Data Bank (PDB) for homologous proteins with determined structuresI had been asked this question in semester exam.The doubt is from Ab Initio Protein Structural Prediction & Homology Modeling in chapter Protein Tertiary Structure Prediction of Bioinformatics

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Correct choice is (c) There is no use of HEURISTIC alignment SEARCH programs

To explain I would say: The search can be performed using a heuristic pair wise alignment search program such as BLAST or FASTA. However, the use of DYNAMIC programming based search programs such as SEARCH or ScanPS can result in more sensitive search results. The relatively small size of the structural DATABASE means that the search time using the exhaustive method is still within reasonable limits, while giving a more sensitive result to ensure the best possible similarity hits.

3.

In the step of Model Refinement Using Energy Function, the structural irregularities can be corrected by applying the energy minimization procedure on the entire model, which moves the atoms in such a way that the overall conformation has the lowest energy potential.(a) True(b) FalseThe question was asked in semester exam.This intriguing question comes from Ab Initio Protein Structural Prediction & Homology Modeling in section Protein Tertiary Structure Prediction of Bioinformatics

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Right answer is (a) True

To explain: In these loop modeling and side chain modeling steps, potential energy calculations are applied to improve the model. However, this does not guarantee that the entire raw homology model is free of structural irregularities such as unfavorable BOND ANGLES, bond lengths, or close ATOMIC contacts. There, this step is used. The goal of energy MINIMIZATION is to RELIEVE steric collisions and strains without significantly altering the overall structure.

4.

Which of the following is untrue about 3D-PSSM?(a) It is a web-based program that employs the structural profile method to identify protein folds(b) The profiles for each protein superfamily are constructed by combining multiple smaller profiles(c) A protein structural superfamily doesn’t have sequence-based PSI-BLAST profile(d) In initial steps, protein structures in a superfamily based on the SCOP classification are superimposedI have been asked this question by my college professor while I was bunking the class.Origin of the question is Threading and Fold Recognition topic in chapter Protein Tertiary Structure Prediction of Bioinformatics

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Correct option is (c) A protein structural superfamily doesn’t have sequence-based PSI-BLAST PROFILE

The explanation is: First, protein structures in a superfamily based on the SCOP classification are superimposed and are used to construct a structural profile by incorporating secondary structures and solvent accessibility information for CORRESPONDING residues. In addition, each member in a protein structural superfamily has its own sequence-based PSI-BLAST profile computed. These sequence PROFILES are used in COMBINATION with the structure profile to form a large superfamily profile in which each POSITION contains both sequence and structural information.

5.

Which of the following is untrue about Loop Modeling Step?(a) In the sequence alignment for modeling, there are often regions caused by insertions and deletions producing gaps in sequence alignment(b) In the sequence alignment for modeling, there are no regions producing gaps in sequence alignment(c) The gaps cannot be directly modeled(d) Loop modeling is required for closing the gaps requiresI had been asked this question by my college professor while I was bunking the class.My query is from Ab Initio Protein Structural Prediction & Homology Modeling in portion Protein Tertiary Structure Prediction of Bioinformatics

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Right choice is (b) In the sequence alignment for modeling, there are no regions PRODUCING gaps in sequence alignment

To explain I WOULD say: Closing the gaps requires loop modeling, which is a very difficult problem in homology modeling and is also a major source of error. Loop modeling can be CONSIDERED a mini–protein modeling problem by itself. Unfortunately, there are no mature methods AVAILABLE that can model loops reliably. Currently, there are two main techniques used to approach the problem: the database searching METHOD and the ab initio method.

6.

Which of the following is true about Gen Threader?(a) It is a web-based program that uses a hybrid of the profile and pairwise energy methods(b) It is a web-based program that uses profile methods only(c) It is a web-based program that uses pairwise energy methods only(d) The initial step is quite dissimilar to 3D-PSSMThe question was asked in exam.The question is from Threading and Fold Recognition topic in division Protein Tertiary Structure Prediction of Bioinformatics

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Correct choice is (a) It is a web-based program that USES a hybrid of the PROFILE and pairwise energy methods

To elaborate: The INITIAL step is similar to 3D-PSSM; the query protein sequence is subject to three ROUNDS of PSI-BLAST. The resulting multiple sequence hits are used to generate a profile. Its secondary structure is predicted using PSIPRED. Both are used as input for threading computation based on a pairwise energy POTENTIAL method. The threading results are evaluated using neural networks that combine energy potentials, sequence alignment scores, and length information to create a single score representing the relationship between the query and template proteins.

7.

In Side Chain Refinement step, A side chain can be built by searching every possible conformation at every torsion angle of the side chain to select the one that has the lowest interaction energy with neighboring atoms.(a) True(b) FalseThe question was asked in exam.My question is based upon Ab Initio Protein Structural Prediction & Homology Modeling topic in section Protein Tertiary Structure Prediction of Bioinformatics

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Right option is (a) True

To elaborate: HOWEVER, this approach is computationally prohibitive in most cases. In FACT, most current side chain prediction programs use the concept of rotamers, which are favored side chain torsion angles EXTRACTED from known PROTEIN crystal structures. In prediction of side chain conformation, only the possible rotamers with the LOWEST interaction energy with nearby atoms are selected.

8.

Which of the following is untrue about profile method?(a) A profile is constructed for a group of related protein structures(b) The propensity of amino acids in not in picture of this method(c) Statistical information from these aligned residues is then used to construct a profile(d) The structural profile is generated by the superimposition of the structures to expose corresponding residuesI have been asked this question during an online exam.Query is from Threading and Fold Recognition topic in section Protein Tertiary Structure Prediction of Bioinformatics

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The correct answer is (b) The propensity of amino acids in not in picture of this method

The best I can explain: The profile contains scores that describe the propensity of each of the twenty amino acid RESIDUES to be at each profile position. The profile scores contain information for SECONDARY STRUCTURAL types, the degree of solvent EXPOSURE, polarity, and hydrophobicity of the amino acids. To predict the structural fold of an unknown query SEQUENCE, the query sequence is first predicted for its secondary structure, solvent accessibility, and polarity.

9.

Which of the following is untrue about specialized programs for loop modeling?(a) PETRA is a web server that models loops using the database approach(b) FREAD is a web server that models loops using the database approach(c) CODA is a web server that uses a consensus method based on the prediction results from FREAD and PETRA(d) For loops of three to eight residues, CODA uses consensus conformation of both methodsThe question was asked during a job interview.I would like to ask this question from Ab Initio Protein Structural Prediction & Homology Modeling in portion Protein Tertiary Structure Prediction of Bioinformatics

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Right answer is (a) PETRA is a web server that models loops using the database approach

To explain I would SAY: PETRA is a web server that uses the ab initio method to MODEL loops. For NINE to thirty residues, CODA uses FREAD prediction only.

10.

Which of the following is untrue about Sequence Alignment Step?(a) Once the structure with the highest sequence similarity is identified as a template, the full-length sequences of the template and target proteins need to be realigned using refined alignment algorithms to obtain optimal alignment(b) The realignment is the most critical step in homology modeling(c) The realignment directly affects the quality of the final model(d) Errors made in the alignment step can be corrected in the following modeling stepsI had been asked this question in a job interview.My doubt stems from Ab Initio Protein Structural Prediction & Homology Modeling in portion Protein Tertiary Structure Prediction of Bioinformatics

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Right choice is (d) Errors made in the alignment step can be corrected in the following modeling STEPS

BEST explanation: Incorrect alignment at this stage leads to incorrect designation of homologous residues and therefore to incorrect structural MODELS. Errors made in the alignment step cannot be corrected in the following modeling steps. Therefore, the best possible multiple alignment algorithms, such as Praline and T-Coffee should be USED for this PURPOSE.

11.

The procedure begins by measuring the orientation and distance of the anchor regions in the stems and searching PDB for segments of the same length that also match the above endpoint conformation.(a) True(b) FalseI had been asked this question in an online interview.Origin of the question is Ab Initio Protein Structural Prediction & Homology Modeling in chapter Protein Tertiary Structure Prediction of Bioinformatics

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The correct choice is (a) True

To explain I would say: Usually, many different alternative segments that fit the ENDPOINTS of the stems are AVAILABLE. The best loop can be selected based on sequence similarity as well as MINIMAL STERIC clashes with the NEIGHBORING parts of the structure. The conformation of the best matching fragments is then copied onto the anchoring points of the stems.

12.

Which of the following is untrue about homology modeling?(a) Homology modeling predicts protein structures based on sequence homology with known structures(b) It is also known as comparative modeling(c) The principle behind it is that if two proteins share a high enough sequence similarity, they are likely to have very similar three-dimensional structures(d) It doesn’t involve the evolutionary distances anywhereI had been asked this question at a job interview.Enquiry is from Ab Initio Protein Structural Prediction & Homology Modeling in chapter Protein Tertiary Structure Prediction of Bioinformatics

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The CORRECT option is (d) It doesn’t involve the EVOLUTIONARY distances anywhere

The explanation: As the name suggests, HOMOLOGY modeling PREDICTS protein structures based on sequence homology with known structures. Homology modeling produces an all-atom model based on alignment with template proteins.

13.

The algorithms used here can be classified into two categories, pairwise energy based and profile based.(a) True(b) FalseI got this question in my homework.The query is from Threading and Fold Recognition in section Protein Tertiary Structure Prediction of Bioinformatics

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The correct option is (a) True

Best explanation: The pairwise energy–based method was originally referred to as threading and the profile-based method was originally defined as fold RECOGNITION. HOWEVER, the two terms are now OFTEN used interchangeably WITHOUT distinction in the LITERATURE.

14.

The prediction programs are thus designed using the energy minimization principle.(a) True(b) FalseThe question was asked in unit test.Asked question is from Ab Initio Protein Structural Prediction & Homology Modeling in division Protein Tertiary Structure Prediction of Bioinformatics

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The CORRECT CHOICE is (a) True

To elaborate: Current ab INITIO algorithms are not yet able to accurately simulate the protein folding process. They work by using some type of heuristics. Because the native STATE of a protein structure is near energy minimum, the prediction programs are thus DESIGNED using the energy minimization principle.

15.

Which of the following is untrue about Ab initio prediction?(a) The limited knowledge of protein folding forms the basis of ab initio prediction(b) The ab initio prediction method attempts to produce all-atom protein models based on sequence information alone without the aid of known protein structures(c) The ab initio prediction method attempts to produce all-atom protein models based on sequence information alone with some aid of known protein structures(d) The perceived advantage of this method is that predictions are not restricted by known folds and that novel protein folds can be identifiedI got this question in an online interview.Query is from Ab Initio Protein Structural Prediction & Homology Modeling topic in portion Protein Tertiary Structure Prediction of Bioinformatics

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The correct CHOICE is (c) The AB initio prediction method attempts to produce all-atom protein MODELS based on sequence information alone with some aid of known protein structures

Easy explanation: Alongside the advantages, because the physicochemical laws governing protein folding are not yet well understood, the energy functions used in the ab initio prediction are, at PRESENT, rather inaccurate. The folding problem remains one of the greatest challenges in bioinformatics today.

16.

Because threading and fold recognition detect structural homologs ________ relying on sequence similarities, they have been shown to be _______ than PSI-BLAST in finding distant evolutionary relationships(a) without completely, far more sensitive(b) completely, far more sensitive(c) completely, less sensitive(d) without completely, less sensitiveI have been asked this question in an internship interview.The doubt is from Threading and Fold Recognition in chapter Protein Tertiary Structure Prediction of Bioinformatics

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Correct option is (a) without COMPLETELY, far more sensitive

Easy EXPLANATION: In many cases, they can identify more than twice as many distant homologs than PSI-BLAST. However, this high sensitivity can also be their weakness because high sensitivity is often associated with LOW SPECIFICITY. The predictions resulting from threading and fold recognition often come with very high rates of false positives. Therefore, much caution is required in accepting the prediction RESULTS.

17.

In Rosetta, The segments with assigned _______ structures are subsequently assembled into a ______ dimensional configuration.(a) primary, three(b) secondary, three(c) secondary, two(d) primary, threeI got this question in an online interview.My doubt is from Ab Initio Protein Structural Prediction & Homology Modeling in division Protein Tertiary Structure Prediction of Bioinformatics

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Correct answer is (b) SECONDARY, three

To explain I would SAY: Through RANDOM combinations of the FRAGMENTS, a large number of models are built and their overall ENERGY potentials calculated. The conformation with the lowest global free energy is chosen as the best model.

18.

Searching for a fold with the absolute minimum energy may not be valid in reality.(a) True(b) FalseI have been asked this question by my college director while I was bunking the class.The question is from Ab Initio Protein Structural Prediction & Homology Modeling topic in portion Protein Tertiary Structure Prediction of Bioinformatics

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The correct answer is (a) True

To EXPLAIN: These ALGORITHMS search for every possible conformation to find the ONE with the lowest GLOBAL energy. However, searching for a fold with the absolute minimum energy may not be valid in reality. This contributes to one of the fundamental flaws of this APPROACH. In addition, searching for all possible structural conformations is not yet computationally feasible.

19.

Which of the following is untrue about threading and fold recognition?(a) It assess the compatibility of an amino acid sequence with a known structure in a fold library(b) If the protein fold to be predicted does not exist in the fold library, the method won’t necessarily fail(c) If the protein fold to be predicted does not exist in the fold library, the method will fail(d) Threading and fold recognition do not generate fully refined atomic models for the query sequencesThis question was posed to me during an online exam.This key question is from Threading and Fold Recognition topic in chapter Protein Tertiary Structure Prediction of Bioinformatics

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Correct ANSWER is (b) If the protein FOLD to be predicted does not exist in the fold library, the METHOD won’t necessarily fail

To explain: A disadvantage compared to homology modeling lies in the fact that threading and fold recognition do not generate fully REFINED atomic models for the query sequences. This is because accurate alignment between distant homologs is difficult to achieve. Instead, threading and fold recognition procedures only provide a rough approximation of the OVERALL topology of the native structure.

20.

Threading or structural fold recognition predicts the structural fold of an unknown protein sequence by fitting the sequence into a structural database and selecting the best-fitting fold.(a) True(b) FalseI got this question in unit test.My doubt is from Threading and Fold Recognition in portion Protein Tertiary Structure Prediction of Bioinformatics

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Correct option is (a) True

The best EXPLANATION: To determine whether a protein sequence ADOPTS a known three-dimensional structure fold relies on threading and fold recognition METHODS. The comparison emphasizes matching of secondary structures, which are most evolutionarily conserved. Therefore, this approach can identify structurally similar proteins EVEN without DETECTABLE sequence similarity.

21.

Rosetta is a web server that predicts protein three-dimensional conformations using the ab initio method.(a) True(b) FalseThe question was asked in an internship interview.I'm obligated to ask this question of Ab Initio Protein Structural Prediction & Homology Modeling in section Protein Tertiary Structure Prediction of Bioinformatics

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The correct choice is (a) True

Explanation: This in fact relies on a “mini-threading” METHOD. The method first breaks down the query sequence into MANY very short SEGMENTS (THREE to nine residues) and predict the SECONDARY structure of the small segments using a Hidden Markov model–based program, HMMSTR.

22.

There are a large number of protein folds available, compared to millions of protein sequences.(a) True(b) FalseThis question was addressed to me by my school principal while I was bunking the class.This is a very interesting question from Threading and Fold Recognition topic in division Protein Tertiary Structure Prediction of Bioinformatics

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Right option is (b) False

Explanation: There are only small number of protein folds AVAILABLE (<1,000), compared to millions of protein sequences. This means that protein structures tend to be more conserved than protein sequences. Consequently, MANY proteins can share a similar fold even in the absence of SEQUENCE similarities. This allowed the development of computational methods to predict protein structures BEYOND sequence similarities.

23.

Energy minimization has to be used with caution because excessive energy minimization often moves residues away from their correct positions.(a) True(b) FalseThe question was asked during an online interview.The query is from Ab Initio Protein Structural Prediction & Homology Modeling in portion Protein Tertiary Structure Prediction of Bioinformatics

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The correct option is (a) True

To explain: Only limited ENERGY minimization is RECOMMENDED (a few hundred ITERATIONS) to remove major errors, such as short BOND distances and close atomic clashes. Key conserved residues and those involved in cofactor binding have to be RESTRAINED if necessary during the process.

24.

Which of the following is untrue about Backbone Model Building Step?(a) Once optimal alignment is achieved, residues in the aligned regions of the target protein can assume a similar structure as the template proteins(b) Coordinates of the corresponding residues of the template proteins can be simply copied onto the target protein(c) If the two residues differ, everything other than the backbone atoms can be copied(d) If the two aligned residues are identical, coordinates of the side chain atoms are copied along with the main chain atomsThe question was asked in an international level competition.The question is from Ab Initio Protein Structural Prediction & Homology Modeling topic in portion Protein Tertiary Structure Prediction of Bioinformatics

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Correct choice is (c) If the two residues differ, everything other than the backbone atoms can be copied

The best I can EXPLAIN: Option “Once OPTIMAL alignment is achieved, residues in the ALIGNED regions of the target protein can assume a similar structure as the template proteins” and “Coordinates of the corresponding residues of the template proteins can be simply copied onto the target protein” MEAN the same. If the two residues differ, only the backbone atoms can be copied. The side chain atoms are rebuilt in a subsequent procedure.

In backbone modeling, it is simplest to use only one template structure. The structure with the best quality and highest resolution is normally chosen if multiple OPTIONS are available.

25.

The next step in the pairwise energy based method is to build a crude model for the target sequence by replacing aligned residues in the template structure with the corresponding residues in the query.(a) True(b) FalseThe question was posed to me at a job interview.This key question is from Threading and Fold Recognition topic in division Protein Tertiary Structure Prediction of Bioinformatics

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The correct option is (a) True

Easy EXPLANATION: After the MENTIONED step, the last step is to calculate the energy terms of the raw model, which include pairwise residue interaction energy, solvation energy, and hydrophobic energy. FINALLY, the MODELS are ranked based on the energy terms to find the lowest energy fold that corresponds to the STRUCTURALLY most compatible fold.