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How colorful ribbon diagrams became the face of proteins
Proteins are often visualized as cascades of curled ribbons and twisted strings, which both reveal and conceal the mess of atoms that make up these impossibly complex molecules.
Proteins are often visualized as cascades of curled ribbons and twisted strings, which both reveal and conceal the mess of atoms that make up these impossibly complex molecules. Richardson’s innovation was a reproducible method of representing the folds of a protein’s amino acid backbone without getting bogged down in the details of specific atomic arrangements. They can’t convey some structural elements, such as tunnels or pockets where other molecules might bind — information critical for understanding how proteins work and designing drugs to target them.
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