Exploring Missense Variants in the Human PNPLA3 Protein: An In Silico Analysis

Background: Missense variants in humans are genetic variations that lead to amino acid substitutions in protein-coding regions, which can modify protein structure, function, and phenotype. The Patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing protein 3 (PNPLA3) gene has received considerable attention b...

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Main Authors: Asia Awad AbdelGader, Afra M. Al Bakry, Hind A. Elnasri, Dawelbiet Abdelaal Yahia, Mona Abdelrahman Mohamed Khaier
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Knowledge E 2025-06-01
Series:Sudan Journal of Medical Sciences
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Online Access:https://knepublishing.com/index.php/SJMS/article/view/16301
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author Asia Awad AbdelGader
Afra M. Al Bakry
Hind A. Elnasri
Dawelbiet Abdelaal Yahia
Mona Abdelrahman Mohamed Khaier
author_facet Asia Awad AbdelGader
Afra M. Al Bakry
Hind A. Elnasri
Dawelbiet Abdelaal Yahia
Mona Abdelrahman Mohamed Khaier
author_sort Asia Awad AbdelGader
collection DOAJ
description Background: Missense variants in humans are genetic variations that lead to amino acid substitutions in protein-coding regions, which can modify protein structure, function, and phenotype. The Patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing protein 3 (PNPLA3) gene has received considerable attention because of its link to several metabolic disorders, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and alcoholic liver disease (ALD). Methods: The PNPLA3 gene was extracted from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) databases, and non-synonymous single-nucleotide polymorphisms (nsSNPs) were analyzed using computational software (SIFT, Polyphen-2, SNPs&GO, PhD-SNP, I-Mutant 3.0, MUpro, and Project Hope). Results: A total of 108 nsSNPs were selected from the coding region for Homo sapiens. The SIFT server was used to distinguish between tolerant and intolerant nsSNPs. A total of 21 deleterious nsSNPs were identified, with a tolerance index ranging from 0.000 to 0.03. Polyphen-2 software predicted 19 damaging polymorphisms, with a score range of 0.970 to 1.000. Using Mupro and I-Mutant 3.0, 18 nsSNPs were identified as decreasing the stability of the mutated protein, while one nsSNP was found to increase the stability of the mutated protein. According to the SNPs&GO software, six nsSNPs were predicted to be disease-related, whereas the PhD-SNP software predicted 11 nsSNPs as disease-related. Six nsSNPs were selected for submission to the Project Hope software based on their prediction by SNPs&GO as the most damaging, with a score range of 0.998 to 1.000. Conclusion: In this study, six deleterious mutations affecting the protein of the PNPLA3 gene were detected, each with a high score, as indicated by a PSIC SD range of 0.998– 1.000, implying pathological polymorphisms that alter the protein’s structure, stability, and function. These mutations were regarded as significant nsSNPs for the PNPLA3 gene in relation to NAFLD. Computational tools have inherent limitations, including biases from training data and challenges in modeling complex biological systems, making experimental validation crucial for their implications and practical applications.
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spelling doaj-art-737269637e4b4442b4ce4474bc360a422025-08-20T03:30:04ZengKnowledge ESudan Journal of Medical Sciences1858-50512025-06-0120210.18502/sjms.v20i2.16301Exploring Missense Variants in the Human PNPLA3 Protein: An In Silico AnalysisAsia Awad AbdelGader0Afra M. Al Bakry1Hind A. Elnasri2Dawelbiet Abdelaal Yahia3Mona Abdelrahman Mohamed Khaier4https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9260-3105Department of Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bahri, KhartoumDepartment of Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bahri, KhartoumDepartment of Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bahri, KhartoumDepartment of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Elimam Elmahdi University, KostiDepartment of Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bahri, Khartoum Background: Missense variants in humans are genetic variations that lead to amino acid substitutions in protein-coding regions, which can modify protein structure, function, and phenotype. The Patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing protein 3 (PNPLA3) gene has received considerable attention because of its link to several metabolic disorders, such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and alcoholic liver disease (ALD). Methods: The PNPLA3 gene was extracted from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) databases, and non-synonymous single-nucleotide polymorphisms (nsSNPs) were analyzed using computational software (SIFT, Polyphen-2, SNPs&GO, PhD-SNP, I-Mutant 3.0, MUpro, and Project Hope). Results: A total of 108 nsSNPs were selected from the coding region for Homo sapiens. The SIFT server was used to distinguish between tolerant and intolerant nsSNPs. A total of 21 deleterious nsSNPs were identified, with a tolerance index ranging from 0.000 to 0.03. Polyphen-2 software predicted 19 damaging polymorphisms, with a score range of 0.970 to 1.000. Using Mupro and I-Mutant 3.0, 18 nsSNPs were identified as decreasing the stability of the mutated protein, while one nsSNP was found to increase the stability of the mutated protein. According to the SNPs&GO software, six nsSNPs were predicted to be disease-related, whereas the PhD-SNP software predicted 11 nsSNPs as disease-related. Six nsSNPs were selected for submission to the Project Hope software based on their prediction by SNPs&GO as the most damaging, with a score range of 0.998 to 1.000. Conclusion: In this study, six deleterious mutations affecting the protein of the PNPLA3 gene were detected, each with a high score, as indicated by a PSIC SD range of 0.998– 1.000, implying pathological polymorphisms that alter the protein’s structure, stability, and function. These mutations were regarded as significant nsSNPs for the PNPLA3 gene in relation to NAFLD. Computational tools have inherent limitations, including biases from training data and challenges in modeling complex biological systems, making experimental validation crucial for their implications and practical applications. https://knepublishing.com/index.php/SJMS/article/view/16301missense variantsPNPLA3 genein silico analysisdisease susceptibilityprotein structurefunctional impact
spellingShingle Asia Awad AbdelGader
Afra M. Al Bakry
Hind A. Elnasri
Dawelbiet Abdelaal Yahia
Mona Abdelrahman Mohamed Khaier
Exploring Missense Variants in the Human PNPLA3 Protein: An In Silico Analysis
Sudan Journal of Medical Sciences
missense variants
PNPLA3 gene
in silico analysis
disease susceptibility
protein structure
functional impact
title Exploring Missense Variants in the Human PNPLA3 Protein: An In Silico Analysis
title_full Exploring Missense Variants in the Human PNPLA3 Protein: An In Silico Analysis
title_fullStr Exploring Missense Variants in the Human PNPLA3 Protein: An In Silico Analysis
title_full_unstemmed Exploring Missense Variants in the Human PNPLA3 Protein: An In Silico Analysis
title_short Exploring Missense Variants in the Human PNPLA3 Protein: An In Silico Analysis
title_sort exploring missense variants in the human pnpla3 protein an in silico analysis
topic missense variants
PNPLA3 gene
in silico analysis
disease susceptibility
protein structure
functional impact
url https://knepublishing.com/index.php/SJMS/article/view/16301
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AT hindaelnasri exploringmissensevariantsinthehumanpnpla3proteinaninsilicoanalysis
AT dawelbietabdelaalyahia exploringmissensevariantsinthehumanpnpla3proteinaninsilicoanalysis
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