Agent skill
bio-structural-biology-modern-structure-prediction
Predict protein structures using modern ML models including AlphaFold3, ESMFold, Chai-1, and Boltz-1. Use when predicting structures for novel proteins, protein complexes, or when comparing predictions across multiple methods.
Install this agent skill to your Project
npx add-skill https://github.com/FreedomIntelligence/OpenClaw-Medical-Skills/tree/main/skills/bio-structural-biology-modern-structure-prediction
SKILL.md
Version Compatibility
Reference examples tested with: BioPython 1.83+, numpy 1.26+
Before using code patterns, verify installed versions match. If versions differ:
- Python:
pip show <package>thenhelp(module.function)to check signatures - CLI:
<tool> --versionthen<tool> --helpto confirm flags
If code throws ImportError, AttributeError, or TypeError, introspect the installed package and adapt the example to match the actual API rather than retrying.
Modern Structure Prediction
"Predict the structure of my protein" → Run ML-based structure prediction using ESMFold (single-sequence, fast), AlphaFold3 (MSA-based, highest accuracy), Chai-1, or Boltz-1 and compare predictions across methods.
- Python: ESMFold API via
requests, local ESMFold withesm.pretrained
Predict protein structures using state-of-the-art machine learning models. This covers cloud APIs, local installations, and interpretation of results.
Model Comparison
| Model | Complexes | Ligands | Speed | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AlphaFold3 | Yes | Yes | Slow | Server only (2025) |
| ESMFold | No | No | Fast | API or local |
| Chai-1 | Yes | Yes | Moderate | Local or API |
| Boltz-1 | Yes | Yes | Moderate | Local |
| ColabFold | No* | No | Moderate | Colab/local |
*ColabFold can predict complexes with AlphaFold-Multimer.
ESMFold (Fastest Single-Chain)
Goal: Predict a protein's 3D structure from its amino acid sequence using the ESMFold language model, which requires no MSA and runs in seconds.
Approach: Submit the sequence to the ESMFold API (or run locally with the esm library), retrieve the predicted PDB coordinates, and assess per-residue confidence via pLDDT scores in the B-factor column.
Via ESM Atlas API
import requests
def predict_esmfold(sequence):
'''Predict structure using ESMFold API'''
url = 'https://api.esmatlas.com/foldSequence/v1/pdb/'
response = requests.post(url, data=sequence, timeout=300)
if response.status_code == 200:
return response.text
raise Exception(f'ESMFold failed: {response.status_code}')
sequence = 'MVLSPADKTNVKAAWGKVGAHAGEYGAEALERMFLSFPTTKTYFPHFDLSH'
pdb_text = predict_esmfold(sequence)
with open('predicted.pdb', 'w') as f:
f.write(pdb_text)
Local ESMFold
import torch
import esm
def predict_esmfold_local(sequence, device='cuda'):
'''Run ESMFold locally (requires ~16GB GPU memory)'''
model = esm.pretrained.esmfold_v1()
model = model.eval().to(device)
with torch.no_grad():
output = model.infer_pdb(sequence)
return output
# Extract pLDDT from ESMFold output
def extract_esmfold_plddt(pdb_text):
plddt = {}
for line in pdb_text.split('\n'):
if line.startswith('ATOM') and line[12:16].strip() == 'CA':
resnum = int(line[22:26])
bfactor = float(line[60:66])
plddt[resnum] = bfactor
return plddt
AlphaFold3 (Server)
AlphaFold3 predictions via the server at alphafoldserver.com.
Prepare Input JSON
import json
def create_af3_input(sequences, job_name='prediction'):
'''Create AlphaFold3 server input JSON'''
entities = []
for i, seq in enumerate(sequences):
entities.append({
'type': 'protein',
'sequence': seq,
'count': 1
})
job = {
'name': job_name,
'modelSeeds': [1],
'sequences': entities
}
return json.dumps(job, indent=2)
# Single protein
input_json = create_af3_input(['MVLSPADKTNVKAAWGKVGAHAGEYGAEALERMFLSFPTTKTYFPHFDLSH'])
# Protein complex
input_json = create_af3_input([
'MVLSPADKTNVKAAWGKVGAHAGEYGAEALERMFLSFPTTKTYFPHFDLSH',
'MGHFTEEDKATITSLWGKVNVEDAGGETLGRLLVVYPWTQRFFDSFGNLSS'
])
Process AF3 Results
import json
from Bio.PDB import PDBParser
import numpy as np
def analyze_af3_result(result_dir):
'''Analyze AlphaFold3 prediction results'''
# Load summary
with open(f'{result_dir}/summary_confidences.json') as f:
summary = json.load(f)
# Extract confidence metrics
iptm = summary.get('iptm', None) # Interface pTM (complexes)
ptm = summary.get('ptm', None) # Predicted TM-score
ranking = summary.get('ranking_score', None)
print(f'pTM: {ptm:.3f}' if ptm else 'pTM: N/A')
print(f'ipTM: {iptm:.3f}' if iptm else 'ipTM: N/A')
return summary
AF3 Confidence Interpretation
| Metric | Range | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| pTM | 0-1 | Overall structure confidence |
| ipTM | 0-1 | Interface prediction quality |
| pLDDT | 0-100 | Per-residue confidence |
| PAE | 0-30A | Position error between residue pairs |
Chai-1 (Local Open-Source)
Installation
pip install chai-lab
Basic Prediction
from chai_lab.chai1 import run_inference
import numpy as np
from pathlib import Path
def predict_chai1(fasta_path, output_dir='chai_output'):
'''Run Chai-1 structure prediction'''
Path(output_dir).mkdir(exist_ok=True)
candidates = run_inference(
fasta_file=Path(fasta_path),
output_dir=Path(output_dir),
num_trunk_recycles=3, # 3: Standard. Use 5+ for difficult targets.
num_diffn_timesteps=200, # 200: Standard. 500 for higher quality.
seed=42,
device='cuda:0'
)
return candidates
# Candidates are sorted by confidence
# candidates.cif files contain predicted structures
Chai-1 with Ligands
# Chai-1 supports protein-ligand complexes
# Include ligand SMILES in input FASTA with special format
def create_chai_fasta_with_ligand(protein_seq, ligand_smiles, output_file):
'''Create Chai-1 input with protein and ligand'''
with open(output_file, 'w') as f:
f.write('>protein|chain_A\n')
f.write(f'{protein_seq}\n')
f.write('>ligand|chain_B\n')
f.write(f'{ligand_smiles}\n')
Boltz-1 (Open-Source Complex Prediction)
Installation
pip install boltz
Basic Prediction
from boltz import Boltz1
def predict_boltz1(sequences, output_dir='boltz_output'):
'''Run Boltz-1 structure prediction'''
model = Boltz1()
result = model.predict(
sequences=sequences,
output_dir=output_dir,
recycling_steps=3, # 3: Standard. Increase for difficult targets.
sampling_steps=200 # 200: Standard. 500 for publication quality.
)
return result
Boltz-1 for Complexes
# Boltz-1 handles heteromeric complexes
def predict_complex_boltz(chain_sequences):
'''Predict protein complex with Boltz-1'''
model = Boltz1()
result = model.predict(
sequences=chain_sequences, # List of sequences for each chain
output_dir='complex_output'
)
# Extract interface metrics
return result
ColabFold (AlphaFold2 + MMseqs2)
Command Line
# Install ColabFold
pip install colabfold
# Run prediction
colabfold_batch input.fasta output_dir/
# With custom templates
colabfold_batch input.fasta output_dir/ --templates
# For complexes (use : to separate chains)
# Create FASTA like: >complex\nSEQUENCE1:SEQUENCE2
Python API
from colabfold.batch import run_colabfold
def predict_colabfold(fasta_file, output_dir, use_templates=False):
'''Run ColabFold prediction'''
run_colabfold(
input_path=fasta_file,
result_dir=output_dir,
use_templates=use_templates,
num_models=5, # 5: Standard. Use 1 for quick predictions.
num_recycles=3, # 3: Standard. Increase for multimers.
model_order=[1,2,3,4,5]
)
Comparing Predictions
from Bio.PDB import PDBParser, Superimposer
import numpy as np
def compare_predictions(pdb_files, labels=None):
'''Compare multiple structure predictions'''
parser = PDBParser(QUIET=True)
structures = [parser.get_structure(f'model_{i}', f) for i, f in enumerate(pdb_files)]
# Extract CA atoms from first chain
def get_ca_atoms(struct):
return [r['CA'] for r in struct[0].get_residues() if 'CA' in r]
all_atoms = [get_ca_atoms(s) for s in structures]
# Pairwise RMSD
n = len(structures)
rmsd_matrix = np.zeros((n, n))
for i in range(n):
for j in range(i+1, n):
min_len = min(len(all_atoms[i]), len(all_atoms[j]))
super_imposer = Superimposer()
super_imposer.set_atoms(all_atoms[i][:min_len], all_atoms[j][:min_len])
rmsd_matrix[i,j] = rmsd_matrix[j,i] = super_imposer.rms
return rmsd_matrix
# Compare ESMFold vs AlphaFold3 vs Chai-1
rmsd = compare_predictions(['esmfold.pdb', 'af3.pdb', 'chai1.pdb'])
print('RMSD matrix:')
print(rmsd)
When to Use Each Model
| Scenario | Recommended Model |
|---|---|
| Quick single-chain prediction | ESMFold (API) |
| Highest accuracy single chain | AlphaFold3 or ColabFold |
| Protein-protein complex | AlphaFold3, Chai-1, or Boltz-1 |
| Protein-ligand complex | AlphaFold3 or Chai-1 |
| No GPU available | ESMFold API or AlphaFold3 server |
| Large-scale screening | ESMFold (local) |
| Open-source requirement | Chai-1 or Boltz-1 |
Memory Requirements
| Model | GPU Memory | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ESMFold | ~16 GB | Sequence length dependent |
| ColabFold | ~8-16 GB | Model size dependent |
| Chai-1 | ~24 GB | Complex size dependent |
| Boltz-1 | ~24 GB | Complex size dependent |
Related Skills
- alphafold-predictions - Download pre-computed AlphaFold structures
- structure-io - Parse and write structure files
- geometric-analysis - RMSD, superimposition, distance calculations
- structure-navigation - Navigate predicted structure hierarchy
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