Visualization of macromolecular structures.

O'Donoghue, Seán I; Goodsell, David S; Frangakis, Achilleas S; Jossinet, Fabrice; Laskowski, Roman A; Nilges, Michael; Saibil, Helen R; Schafferhans, Andrea et al. · Nat Methods · 2010

review · Level V

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Abstract

Structural biology is rapidly accumulating a wealth of detailed information about protein function, binding sites, RNA, large assemblies and molecular motions. These data are increasingly of interest to a broader community of life scientists, not just structural experts. Visualization is a primary means for accessing and using these data, yet visualization is also a stumbling block that prevents many life scientists from benefiting from three-dimensional structural data. In this review, we focus on key biological questions where visualizing three-dimensional structures can provide insight and describe available methods and tools.

Medical subject headings