Modeling the P2X7 receptor: a comparative analysis of conventional methods and AlphaFold
Luiz Anastacio Alves
BackgroundP2X7 is a purinergic receptor involved in inflammation, pain, and neurodegeneration and is an important pharmacological target, with no drugs approved for clinical therapy. Given the limited availability of crystallized human P2X7 (hP2X7) receptor structures, this study evaluates the structural fidelity of models generated through conventional homology modeling and advanced deep learning approaches using AlphaFold, aiming to support structure-based drug discovery.MethodsThe hP2X7 recep