Memoir: template-based structure prediction for membrane proteins

Membrane proteins are estimated to be the targets of 50 % of drugs that are currently in development, yet we have few membrane protein crystal struc-tures. As a result, for a membrane protein of interest, the much-needed structural information usually comes from a homology model. Current homology modelling software is optimized for globular proteins, and ignores the constraints that the membrane is known to place on protein struc-ture. Our Memoir server produces homology models using alignment and coordinate generation software that has been designed specifically for transmem-brane proteins. Memoir is easy to use, with the only inputs being a structural template and the sequence that is to be modelled. We provide a video tutorial and a guide to assessing model quality. Supporting data aid manual refinement of the models. These data include a set of alternative conformations for each modelled loop, and a multiple sequence align-ment that incorporates the query and template. Memoir works with both a-helical and b-barrel types of membrane proteins and is freely available a