At the forefront of biological sciences is the ability to visualize the tiny parts of the complex machinery of life: the very molecules that “make us tick” – proteins. Appearing in purple at the center of the design are four hexamers of protein insulin (the molecule which regulates level of sugar in the blood; a dimer is colored in red), as they look according to X-ray crystallographic analysis. In light turquoise, overlaying the X-ray model, is an image of the surface of the same molecules acquired with the help of a microscopic technique, atomic force microscopy (AFM). The goal of the comparison was to search for minute differences between the structure of the surface as predicted by X-ray crystallography and as observed with atomic force microscopy.
AFM images were acquired on a (100) face of rhombohedral R3 insulin crystals in contact mode, in mother liquor, on a MultiMode Nanoscope IIIa system from Veeco Metrology. The average surface topography (light turquoise contour lines) was calculated from atomic force microscopy images with the help of GRIP (Groningen Image Processing System by Wilko Keegstra from University of Groningen, the Netherlands) image processing software by standard Fourier-filtering methods at a resolution of 1.2 nm. Comparison with the 3D structure (four insulin hexamers shown in purple, pdb code 4INS) and visualization was performed in Chimera software package from University of San Francisco computer graphics lab. EMAN (Electron Micrograph Analysis package from the National Center for Macromolecular Imaging at the Baylor College of Medicine) software was used to convert AFM images into the format suitable for Chimera.
This work was performed by Ilya Reviakine at the research group of Professor Peter Vekilov, Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Houston.
In the background of the logo, the genome map for Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv (Accession: NC_000962) as (prior to editing) displayed by NCBI. For complete genomes, NCBI provides a visual representation in what they call the protein coding genes distribution map. The different colors represent the gene functions at these positions according to the COG functional categories. The complete Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv genome was first published in Nature. Such maps offer the user a view of the whole genome. By clicking on the image, the user can view the selected area with the genes found in this region. In addition to presenting a visual representation of the whole genome, this tool provides the user with information about a gene’s location, function, and its neighboring genes and promoter regions.
Submitted for design use by Catherine Putonti, University of Houston.
Together, the completed artwork suggests the complexity and diversity of the cross-disciplinary interests of both Keck Center faculty and trainees; interests that are key to the advancement of the biological sciences.