Integrative illustration for coronavirus outreach

Abstract

Two illustrations integrate current knowledge about severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronaviruses and their life cycle. They have been widely used in education and outreach through free distribution as part of a coronavirus-related resource at Protein Data Bank (PDB)-101, the education portal of the RCSB PDB. Scientific sources for creation of the illustrations and examples of dissemination and response are presented.

Fig 1. Coronavirus in respiratory mucosa.

A cross section of the virus is shown, with membrane and membrane-bound viral proteins in magenta and the viral genome and associated proteins in purple. In the surrounding mucosa, mucins are shown in green and molecules of the immune system are in yellow and tan. Viral proteins are labeled: M, membrane protein; E, envelope protein; N, nucleocapsid protein; S, spike protein.

Fig 2. Coronavirus replication and budding.

This illustration shows a cross-section through a cell infected with a coronavirus such as SARS-CoV-2. It shows a time point when the virus is actively replicating, and new viruses are being created. The cell’s molecules are shown in blues and greens, and the viral molecules are shown in reds and purples. The illustration integrates the current state of knowledge, but many aspects of the virus and its life cycle are still actively being studied, so portions of the illustration are speculative. Note that some features, such as RNA, needed to be slightly exaggerated in size/width, given the minimal size of features that could be depicted using black outlines of discernable width at the consistent magnification of 1,000,000× that was used for the original watercolor painting. SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2.

Fig 3. Details from coronavirus replication and budding.

(Left) ribosomes in the endoplasmic reticulum. (A) ribosome; (B) viral coding RNA; (C) translocation channel; (D) spike protein; (E) chaperonin BiP; (F) oligosaccharide transferase; (G) glucosidases. (Right) viral proteins. Numbers identify the viral nsp, so “3” is nsp3. Three structural proteins (E, envelope; M, membrane; N, nucleocapsid), and several accessory proteins (p6, p7a, and p8a) are also shown. The sizes and shapes of proteins are based on structural results and known interactions, but the arrangement of subunits in the replicase is speculative. BiP, binding immunoglobulin protein; nsp, non-structural proteins.

Fig 4. Selected online posts from the coronavirus coloring activity.