Science begets art in the ‘Molecule of the Month’

David Goodsell creates biological modules for Rutgers-based international repository of protein structures

This month the Rutgers-based RCSB Protein Data Bank (PDB) tips its hat to David Goodsell, the artistic scientist (or scientific artist). April marks the 100th “Molecule of the Month,” a series produced by Goodsell and featured on the data bank’s website.

Goodsell, an associate professor of molecular biology at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, combines his artistic talent with his scientific expertise in his visual representations of molecular biology. He creates his images so as to capture his excitement about science and communicate it to others.

“The combination of art and science gives me a way to access the wonder of nature. It makes me really look at results and think about them in a deeper way,” Goodsell says. “The thing that drives me continually is the beauty of these objects that I’m working on and being amazed at how unusual they are.”

For Goodsell, biological systems are a source of constant amazement. He uses a combination of hand-drawn and computer graphics illustrations to reveal the invisible world of molecules inside cells.

Goodsell has taken a few art classes over the years, but his formal training is in science. “My grandfather, who was a watercolorist, started me painting when I was a small child, and I learned most of what I know from watching him,” Goodsell says.

“David Goodsell’s masterful images contribute immensely not only to the visual impact of our website, but also enhance our ability to communicate our work to a broader audience,” said RCSB PDB Director and Board of Governors Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology Helen Berman.

The RCSB PDB offers access to the internet-accessible PDB archive of the structures of nearly 50,000 proteins and other macromolecules in its growing inventory. This computer library of molecular structures is one of the world’s most critical resources for solving the mysteries of human disease.

During the first week of each of the last 100 months, a new Goodsell image has been posted on the website. The molecular artist presents striking color renditions of one of the tens of thousands of molecules selected from the PDB archive, accompanied by a short description of the molecule and its place in our lives. The series has been used by teachers, students, and researchers around the globe.

Molecule No. 100 represents the adrenergic receptors, part of a large class of similar proteins collectively known as G-protein-coupled receptors, which play diverse and important roles in human health. By some estimates, there are almost a thousand different types in the human genome, including hundreds of receptors for taste and smell. Many widely used drugs, such as Prozac, Claritin, and Zoloft, act by binding to these receptors.

The biological structures upon which Goodsell focuses are determined by the most modern experimental methods, including X-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy, and cryo-electron microscopy. The molecules in the PDB archive represent an increasingly large fraction of all the molecules of life: the molecules that determine how we live and breathe, and the ones that will interact with the new drugs we design.                                   

– Joseph Blumberg