Whenever you visualize a protein structure using PyMOL or Chimera , have you ever wondered what’s really inside the file ? Nowadays, I am getting into informatics, and hope that this series helps beginners like me to get into it. Today, let's explore the PDB and CIF file formats , and their differences, Let's start by going to RCSB PDB and searching for 5GZA , a kinase enzyme that interacts with mannose sugar. Click the download tab and select PDB and CIF file formats. Exploring the PDB File Format To visualize the contents of a PDB file , open it in VS Code (or any text editor—though I personally dislike Notepad!). PDB files contain structured information with well-defined column formats . The first few sections include: HEADER, TITLE, COMPND → Metadata about the protein SOURCE, AUTHOR → Experimental details ATOM & HETATM → Atomic coordinates and ligands CONECT → Connectivity (bonds between atoms) The most useful part is the ATOM section , which contains 3D atomic ...
U rea, this small molecule has been a lifesaver in my lab work, especially when dealing with stubborn western blots for transmembrane proteins. Urea, composed of two amide groups (Figure 1), i s one of the most widely used protein denaturants in protein biochemistry. Fig 1. Chemical structure of Urea (Fun fact: if you’re looking for smoother hands, check out hand creams containing urea—it’s also a moisturizing agent!) One of urea’s favorite applications is in proteomics, where it is used to unfold and solubilize proteomes, making them susceptible to trypsin digestion. Its history in protein science goes back to Anfinsen’s famous experiment, which demonstrated that the code for protein folding reside in the amino acid sequence. Anfinsen unfolded ribonuclease using urea, and upon removing it, some proteins refolded, proving the “code” for folding is intrinsic to the sequence. Like many scientists, I’ve been using urea in my experiments for years without giving much thought to how i...