Chalcogen Bonds Involving Selenium in Protein Structures

Chalcogen bonds are the specific interactions involving group 16 elements as electrophilic sites. The role of chalcogen atoms as sticky sites in biomolecules is underappreciated, and the few available studies have mostly focused on S. Here, we carried out a statistical analysis over 3562 protein structures in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) containing 18 266 selenomethionines and found that Se center dot center dot center dot O chalcogen bonds are commonplace. These findings may help the future design of functional peptides and contribute to understanding the role of Se in nature.

Automated summary

The study reveals that Se center dot center dot center dot O chalcogen bonds are common in protein structures, which may have implications for designing functional peptides and understanding the role of Se in nature.