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Health Focus: Drugs and the Brain

The brain orchestrates everything we do, sending signals through the nervous system to control different parts of our body. The brain is also the home of our thoughts and consciousness, as neurons process the input from our senses and store what they find as memories. Many drugs are available to help tune the function of the brain and nervous system when there are problems. Unfortunately, the effects of some drugs are hard to control and can lead to abuse and addiction. Explore PDB-101 Resources to learn about proteins related to our nervous system and mental health.

2021 Video Challenge for High School Students

Molecular Mechanisms of Drugs for Mental Disorders

Entries for the Video Challenge can be submitted now until April 27, 11:59 pm PST. Award winners will be announced on May 18.

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The Challenge | Submit | Judges | Learn | Participate

2020 Video Challenge key visual: opioid receptor with ligand in the active site

Celebrating 50 Years of Protein Data Bank

In 1971, the structural biology community established the single worldwide archive for macromolecular structure data–-the Protein Data Bank (PDB). In 2021, RCSB PDB and wwPDB are celebrating the 50^th Anniversary of the PDB with symposia, materials, and more.

Inaugural PDB50 Virtual Symposium (May 4-5). Register and submit abstracts by March 15^th for reduced rates.
2021 calendar and virtual meeting backgrounds
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Learn: Materials for Exploration

COVID-19 Coronavirus Resources

PDB-101 resources and 3D structures of COVID-19 proteins.

Paper Models Posters Videos Animations

Teach: Curricula

The RCSB PDB Curricula provide authentic, hands-on teaching materials, individual and group activities and assessment suggestions.

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Education Corner: Using PDB Resources

January 2021

2020 ACA Transactions Symposium on Structural Science: New Ways to Teach the Next Generation by Cassandra Eagle (East Tennessee State University), Joe Tanski (Vassar College), Andrey Yakovenko, (Argonne National Laboratory), and Christine Zardecki (RCSB PDB).

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SciArt Galleries

Irving Geis (1908-1997) was a gifted artist who helped illuminate the field of structural biology with his iconic images. The Geis Digital Archive features many of his illustrations in the context of their molecular structures.

Induced Lac Repressor

Hemoglobin

Oxyhemoglobin

Aspartate Transcarbamoylase (ATCase)

Intermolecular Contacts in Hemoglobin S

Myoglobin Fold

Transfer Ribonucleic Acid (tRNA)

Lysozyme (512)

Crambin

A-DNA

Trypsin

DNA

Lac Repressor

Myohemerythrin

B-DNA

Myoglobin

Z-DNA

Cytochrome c (unbound)

Ribonuclease S

Cytochrome c

Hemoglobin (1000)

Hemoglobin S

Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA)

Lysozyme (488)

Collagen

Carboxypeptidase A

Immunoglobulin G (IgG)

DPG-Hemoglobin Complex

TATA-Binding Protein (TBP)

Deoxyhemoglobin

Tomato Bushy Stunt Virus (TBSV)

The Molecular Landscapes by David S. Goodsell integrate information from structural biology, microscopy and biophysics to simulate detailed views of the molecular structure of living cells.

Illustrations are free for use under a CC-BY-4.0 license