Head Back to School with PDB-101

09/06 

PDB-101 is RCSB PDB’s online portal for teachers, students, and the general public that promotes exploration in the world of proteins and nucleic acids. Learning about the diverse shapes and functions of these biological macromolecules helps to understand all aspects of biomedicine and agriculture, from protein synthesis to health and disease to biological energy.

This website ("101", as in an entry level course) presents introductory materials that introduce beginners to the structures of proteins and nucleic acids contained in the PDB archive. Resources for extended learning are also provided.

PDB-101 offers curricular materials, templates to create 3D paper models, Molecule of the Month articles, and other materials developed by RCSB PDB.

Users can search the website for related materials using molecule name or keyword. The Browse option can be used to explore available PDB-101 resources organized by topics such as the immune system and renewable energy.

PDB101.rcsb.org is updated with news and features regularly.

August's feature on quasisymmetry was the 200th installment of Molecule of the Month. To celebrate, PDB-101 published a 3D paper model activity; the 200 Icosahedral Viruses from the PDB poster, and the Coloring Molecular Machinery coloring book.

Irving Geis was a gifted artist who helped illuminate the field of structural biology with his iconic images of DNA, hemoglobin, and other important macromolecules. Through a collaboration with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI), which owns the Geis Archives, the RCSB PDB has established the Geis Digital Archive. This resource displays many of Geis' illustrations in the context of the corresponding PDB structures and related molecular information. Through this archive, these images will be available for download for noncommercial usage. Image used with permission from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (www.hhmi.org). All rights reserved.