Newsletter | Summer 2015 ⋅ Number 66
Read about the design of the Molecule of the Month series, and how it is used in research and education:
The RCSB PDB Molecule of the Month: Inspiring a Molecular View of Biology (2015) DS Goodsell, S Dutta, C Zardecki, M Voigt, HM Berman, SK Burley PLoS Biol 13(5): e1002140.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1002140
A full list of RCSB PDB publications is available.
We are celebrating the 15th year of Molecule of the Month with a PDF calendar for 2015 that features many molecular highlights from the archive. Download a copy from http://bit.ly/1cmPopK.
Art of Science opening reception at the Rutgers Art Library. More photos on Facebook.
The Art of Science exhibition highlights the fascinating 3D shapes and symmetries of biological macromolecules found in the PDB. The show was recently seen by thousands of students while on display at McPherson College (Kansas) and The Delbarton School (NJ) through support provided by the American Crystallographic Association.
The show was also on display at the Rutgers Art Library from May 1-29. Since the exhibit took place during the University's study period and exams, "toober" materials were on hand for students to take a study break by building models of the images shown. Annotator Brian Hudson also created 3D models of proteins to provide inspiration. Photos from the opening reception have been posted on Facebook.
Please contact info@rcsb.org if you would like to learn more about the Art of Science program.
The Winning team from Harriton High School, Rosemont, PA.
A team from Harriton High School in Rosemont, Penn. took first place in the National Science Olympiad Protein Modeling Event at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln May 15 and 16. The victory team members Jamie Song, Dayita Sharma, and Sarah Root earned a $10,000 scholarship every year for four years to attend the Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE), if they choose to apply to the university and are accepted.
Science Olympiad features nearly two dozen team events held at tournaments across the country. Teams are recognized for their performance in individual events and in the overall tournament. In Protein Modeling, students must prove they understand basic features of protein structure, use online visualization tools to explore and manipulate protein structures, and create 3D physical models of proteins using foam-covered wire.
The focus of this challenge was to model a fragment of the CRISPR Cas9 protein used to edit the human genome. Cas9 is a bacterial DNA nuclease enzyme that naturally functions in bacteria to protect them from invading viruses. Many researchers have recently modified the CRISPR/Cas9 system to be useful in gene-editing.
This year's protein modeling event was designed by MSOE and RCSB PDB, and highlights related Molecule of the Month columns as a resource. Related materials about this event are hosted by MSOE and RCSB PDB.
At the Rutgers Day, the RCSB PDB team members helped attendees build models of DNA and viruses.
Associate Director Helen Berman gave an overview Proteins are the easy part: Chemical diversity in the PDB archive at a symposium in honor of Rutgers Professor David Case at the American Chemical Society meeting in Denver, CO. Case was also honored with the ACS Award for Computers in Chemical and Pharmaceutical Research for being a pillar of the computational chemistry community and a pioneer of the theory and simulations of biomolecular systems.
Helen Berman described Data Science in Biology: Protein Data Bank as a Model System for a special symposia for the American Physiological Society.
Jasmine Young presented Improved Data Representation of Very Large Macromolecular Structures in the Protein Data Bank.
RCSB PDB joined the Rutgers Chapter of SACNAS (Society for Advancing Hispanics/Chicanos & Native Americans in Science), and the Graduate Student Association from the Center for Integrative Proteomics Research in offering a fun program of activities for a wide range of visitors, from preschoolers to grown ups. RCSB PDB volunteers helped attendees build models of DNA and viruses, SACNAS introduced visitors to prominent scientists from underrepresented groups, while the GSA introduced the visitors to acids and bases using the "Acid Rainbow."
Andreas Prlić presented an update on new RCSB PDB features for mapping the human genome to PDB in the symposium Understanding Genomic Variation in Three Dimensions: Impact on Protein-Protein and Protein-Drug Interactions.
Director Stephen Burley led two workshops highlighting RCSB PDB resources at this annual event.
