Published quarterly by the Research Collaboratory
for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data Bank

Spring 2008
Number 37

 
NEWSLETTER
  Contents  
Home | Newsletter Archive | PDF Version | Text-only Version
     

Data Deposition
• sf-convert: A Format Conversion Tool for Structure Factor Files
• EmDep2: Deposit EM Maps at the MSD-EBI or RCSB PDB
• 2008 Deposition Statistics
• Data Processing Versioning Procedures

Data Query, Reporting and Access
• Website Statistics
• PDB Statistics
• Time-stamped Copies of PDB Archive Available via FTP

Outreach and Education
• RCSB PDB Celebrates Teaching, Learning, and More
• Protein Sculptures on Display at Rutgers
• Papers Published

Education Corner
Moving Pictures: Using Chimera to Make Molecular Multimedia for the Classroom by Dr. Jeramia Ory, Kings College

PDB Community Focus

Dr. Christine Orengo, University College London



RCSB PDB PARTNERS, MANAGEMENT, AND STATEMENT OF SUPPORT
       

Message from the RCSB PDB

April 1 marked the 100th edition of the Molecule of the Month, a series produced by David S. Goodsell and featured on the RCSB PDB website.


April 2008 feature on adrenergic receptors marks
the 100th Edition of
Molecule of the Month


 
Snapshot: April 1, 2008
49760
released atomic coordinate entries
Molecule Type
45906
proteins, peptides,
and viruses
1839
nucleic acids
1982
protein/nucleic acid
complexes

33

other
Experimental Tecnique
42342
X-ray
7150
NMR
170
electron microscopy
98
other
 
31499
structure factor files
3931
NMR restraint files
 

Since January 2000, this series has explored the structure and function of proteins and nucleic acids found in the PDB archive such as transfer RNA, anthrax toxin, and multidrug resistance transporters. To commemorate this event, the RCSB PDB will be offering temporary tattoos of an adrenergic receptor at upcoming meetings. The feature is also available in a specially formatted PDF.

Written and illustrated by David S. Goodsell (The Scripps Research Institute), the Molecule of the Month provides an easy introduction to the RCSB PDB for teachers and students. It is used in many classrooms to introduce structures to students, and is an integral part of the protein modeling event at the Science Olympiad.

The text and images are related to the featured molecule; the RCSB PDB pages link to examples of the molecule. In response to requests, a view of the highlighted structure in Jmol is included in new features to provide an interactive view of the molecule.

New Molecule of the Month features are made available from the RCSB PDB home page with the first update of each month. Alphabetical and chronological listings of past issues are provided. wwPDB partner PDBj has recently started to translate the Molecule of the Month into Japanese.

Links to the series are also available from RCSB PDB's Structure Explorer pages. Selecting "Learn more: [M]" takes the reader to any Molecule of the Month feature related to that particular entry.


David S. Goodsell

To create the series, Goodsell combines his artistic talent with his scientific expertise in his visual representations of molecular biology. He creates his images so as to capture his excitement about science and communicate it to others.

“The combination of art and science gives me a way to access the wonder of nature. It makes me really look at results and think about them in a deeper way,” Goodsell says. “The thing that drives me continually is the beauty of these objects that I’m working on and being amazed at how unusual they are.”

 
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