News
Head Back to School with PDB-101
09/04
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Learn about the structure and function of tRNA by building a paper model in this new PDB-101 activity.
The PDB-101 website packages together resources that promote exploration in the world of proteins and nucleic acids for teachers, students, and the general public. Major topics include:
- Author Profiles are a unique historical and educational tool that display a timeline of the structures associated with a particular researcher. Example profiles and searches for authors and structural genomics centers are available.
- Educational Resources and materials, including posters, animations, and classroom lessons. Recently, a tRNA-building activity was added to the list of available activities.
- Molecule of the Month articles describe the structure and function of a molecule, offer interactive views and discussion topics, and links to specialized pages to help explore specific example structures. Each feature can be accessed from a pull-down menu or from the archive.
- Structural View of Biology. Built around the Molecule of the Month series, this feature promotes a top-down exploration of the PDB. Readers can travel through high-level functional categories (such as Protein Synthesis and Health and Disease) and descriptive subcategories (like Replication or Immune System) to access relevant articles that describe molecules in simple terms and provide specific examples.
- Understanding PDB Data is a reference to help explore and interpret individual PDB entries. Broad topics include how to understand PDB data, how to visualize structures, how to read coordinate files, and potential challenges to exploring the archive.
To enter this educational view of the RCSB PDB, click on the blackboard PDB-101 logo or its related widget in the left-hand menu. This view offers easy navigation: select any Molecule of the Month article from the top bar menu or mouse over the upper-left PDB-101 pulldown menu to jump to other sections. Select the blue RCSB PDB logo from the top of the page at any time to return to the main website.
