Rita Ferreira

Publications (4)0.43 Total impact

• Article: Predicting the secondary structure of proteins using machine learning algorithms.

  Rui Camacho, Rita Ferreira, Natacha Rosa, Vânia Guimarães, Nuno A Fonseca, Vítor Santos Costa, Miguel de Sousa, Alexandre Magalhães
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  ABSTRACT: The functions of proteins in living organisms are related to their 3-D structure, which is known to be ultimately determined by their linear sequence of amino acids that together form these macromolecules. It is, therefore, of great importance to be able to understand and predict how the protein 3D-structure arises from a particular linear sequence of amino acids. In this paper we report the application of Machine Learning methods to predict, with high values of accuracy, the secondary structure of proteins, namely alpha-helices and beta-sheets, which are intermediate levels of the local structure.
  International Journal of Data Mining and Bioinformatics 01/2012; 6(6):571-84. · 0.43 Impact Factor
• Chapter: Predicting the Start of Protein α-Helices Using Machine Learning Algorithms

  Rui Camacho, Rita Ferreira, Natacha Rosa, Vânia Guimarães, Nuno A. Fonseca, Vítor Santos Costa, Miguel de Sousa, Alexandre Magalhães
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  ABSTRACT: Proteins are complex structures synthesised by living organisms. They are actually a fundamental type of molecules and can perform a large number of functions in cell biology. Proteins can assume catalytic roles and accelerate or inhibit chemical reactions in our body. They can assume roles of transportation of smaller molecules, storage, movement, mechanical support, immunity and control of cell growth and differentiation [25]. All of these functions rely on the 3D-structure of the protein. The process of going from a linear sequence of amino acids, that together compose a protein, to the protein’s 3D shape is named protein folding. Anfinsen’s work [29] has proven that primary structure determines the way protein folds. Protein folding is so important that whenever it does not occur correctly it may produce diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE), usually known as mad cows disease, Creutzfeldt-Jakob (CJD) disease, a Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Huntingtons syndrome, Parkinson disease, and other diseases related to cancer.
  05/2010: pages 33-41;
• Conference Proceeding: Predicting the Start of Protein

  Rui Camacho, Rita Ferreira, Natacha Rosa, Vânia Guimarães, Nuno A. Fonseca, Vítor Santos Costa, Miguel de Sousa, Alexandre Magalhães
  Advances in Bioinformatics - 4th International Workshop on Practical Applications of Computational Biology and Bioinformatics 2010 (IWPACBB 2010), Guimarães, Portugal, 16-18 June 2010; 01/2010
• Article: Predicting the secondary structure of proteins using Machine Learning algorithms

  Rui Camacho, Rita Ferreira, Natacha Rosa, Vania Guimaraes, A Fonseca, Vitor Santos Costa, Miguel Sousa, Alexandre Magalhaes
  Int. J. Data Mining and Bioinformatics.