# Comprehensive classification of the plant non-specific lipid transfer protein superfamily towards its Sequence -Structure -Function analysis

## TL;DR

This paper presents a comprehensive classification and analysis of plant non-specific lipid transfer proteins (nsLTPs), integrating sequence, structure, and function data to better understand their roles and develop new analytical tools.

## Contribution

It introduces a novel classification framework for nsLTPs that combines sequence, structural, and functional information, addressing the challenge of their high divergence.

## Key findings

- Identified conserved structural features across diverse nsLTP sequences.
- Established correlations between sequence motifs and functional roles.
- Validated the classification approach on a large dataset of nsLTPs.

## Abstract

Background. Non-specific Lipid Transfer Proteins (nsLTPs) are widely distributed in the plant kingdom and constitute a superfamily of related proteins. More than 800 different sequences have been characterized so far, but their biological functions remain unclear. It has been clear for years that they present a certain interest for agronomic and nutritional issues. Deciphering their functions means collecting and analyzing a variety of data from gene sequence to protein structure, from cellular localization to the physiological role. As a huge and growing number of new protein sequences are available nowadays, extracting meaningful knowledge from sequence-structure-function relationships calls for the development of new tools and approaches. As nsLTPs show high evolutionary divergence, but a conserved common right-handed superhelix structural fold, and as they are involved in a large number of key roles in plant development and defense, they are a stimulating case study for validating such an approach.

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/1905.00683