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Editorial
. 2021 Mar 5;8(2):020401.
doi: 10.1063/4.0000077. eCollection 2021 Mar.

Molecular storytelling for online structural biology outreach and education

David S Goodsell, Shuchismita Dutta, Maria Voigt  1 , Christine Zardecki  1
Affiliations
Editorial

Molecular storytelling for online structural biology outreach and education

David S Goodsell et al. Struct Dyn. .

Abstract

Knowledge about the structure and function of biomolecules continues to grow exponentially, enabling us to "see" structural snapshots of biomolecular interactions and functional assemblies. At PDB-101, the educational portal of the RCSB Protein Data Bank, we have taken a storytelling approach to make this body of knowledge accessible and comprehensible to a wide community of students, educators, and the general public. For over 20 years, the Molecule of the Month series has utilized a traditional illustrated storytelling approach that is regularly adapted for classroom instruction. Similar visual and interactive storytelling approaches are used to present topical subjects at PDB-101 and full curricular materials and case studies for building a detailed narrative around topics of particular interest. This emphasis on storytelling led to the Video Challenge for High School students, now in its 8th year. In this Article, we will present some of the lessons we have learned for teaching and communicating structural biology using the PDB archive of biomolecular structures.

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Figures

FIG. 1.
FIG. 1.
The expressome, featured as the Molecule of the Month in January 2021, is a structure that tells an entire story. The complex shows the “Central Dogma” of molecular biology, with a small piece of DNA being unwound and transcribed into mRNA by RNA polymerase and an associated ribosome aligning tRNA and translating the mRNA into protein. Two small transcription factors, NusA and NusG, hold the whole assembly in place. Reproduced with permission from D. S. Goodsell, “Epressome,” in PDB-101 (2021). Copyright 2021 Author, licensed under a Creative Commons CC-BY-4.0 license.
FIG. 2.
FIG. 2.
Molecular Case Study Cycle for Nicholas' Story. The four components of the cycle are listed with labels (a)–(d). The biomolecular structures at the heart of the case are positioned at the interface of biology and chemistry. Adapted with permission from Dutta et al., Nicholas' Story, Molecular CaseNet Faculty Mentoring Network (QUBES Educational Resources, 2020). Copyright 2020 Authors, licensed under a Creative Commons CC-BY-4.0.
FIG. 3.
FIG. 3.
Award-winning student videos from the 2020 RCSB PDB Video Challenge for High School Students on “Molecular Mechanisms of Opioid Action.” Adapted with permission from the RCSB PDB, see http://pdb101.rcsb.org/events/video-challenge/2020-awards. Copyright 2020 Authors, licensed under a Creative Commonsr CC-BY-4.0.
FIG. 4.
FIG. 4.
Ebola virus proteins. The atomic structures are shown at right, with portions that were not determined schematically. An artistic conception on the left shows the context of each protein within the entire Ebola virion. Reproduced with permission from D. S. Goodsell, “Ebola virus proteins,” in PDB-101 (2014). Copyright 2014 Author, licensed under a Creative Commons CC-BY-4.0.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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