1. Are the objective and introduction written in an engaging way? Yes No     If 'No' please explain. characters left 2. Is the difficulty level accurate? Yes No     If 'No' please explain. characters left 3. Were the materials easily obtained? Yes No     If 'No' please explain. characters left 4. Was the procedure clear? Yes No      If 'No' please explain. characters left 5. Were all safety measures included? Yes No      If 'No' please explain. characters left 6. Did you obtain clear, unambiguous results? Yes No     If 'No' please explain. characters left 7. How much time did you spend on the project? Choose One... A day or less Several days About one week A couple weeks Several weeks to months 8. How much did the project cost? Choose One... Less than $20 $20 - $50 $50 - $100 $100 - $150 $150+ Optional:  Do you have any suggestions to improve this project? characters left Optional:  Attach a picture of your project (JPG, JPEG, GIF, PNG only) Optional:  Caption for picture characters left Thank you for your feedback! * Note: This is an abbreviated project idea, without notes to start your background research or a procedure for how to do the experiment. You can identify abbreviated project ideas by the asterisk at the end of the title. If you want a project idea with full instructions, please pick one without an asterisk. Abstract How a biological system functions is a consequence of the 3-D structures of biological macromolecules like proteins and protein complexes. Proteins can be categorized into different protein families based upon sequence, structure, and function. Typically, proteins in the same family have similar biochemical functions. You can investigate the structure of a protein by using protein databases (Entrez Protein, SwissProt, PDB) and 3-D computational models. You can compare the structures of different proteins with similar function to see if they have similar geometries, like molecules that bind ATP or DNA. You can compare homologous proteins from different species to see how the structure varies by searching the PDB taxonomic database. You can also search for proteins that are linked to a particular disease in PDB, and compare the normal and abnormal structures. Many proteins in the PDB database have structural data for different mutations, so you can compare the mutant structures to identify structurally important residues. When choosing a protein of interest from the structure database, consider the following questions. Does the protein occur in different conformations or isoforms? Is there a model of the active site, substrate or ligand? Is the protein part of a larger protein complex? Is there a structure that has been solved with a mutation, ion or ligand? Is the protein part of a larger family of proteins with similar structures? Are there structures available of homologous proteins from different species?Are there portions of the protein which are conserved between different species? Are there any mutations which may cause a change in 3-D structure? Are there any post-translational modifications that may affect structure, like phosphorylation or ubiquitination? (PDB, 2006) Bibliography PDB, 2006. "Structural Genomics Information Portal," The Research Collaboratory for Structural Bioinformatics Protein Data Bank (RCSB PDB) [accessed 3/25/06] http://sg.pdb.org/. Variations For more science project ideas in this area of science, see Biotechnology Techniques Project Ideas. Last edit date: 2008-11-10 15:08:05

I Did This Project! Tell us about your experience with this science project. What was the most important thing you learned? characters left What problems did you encounter? (Enter "none" if you had none.) characters left Can you suggest any improvements or ideas? (Enter "no" if you have none.) characters left How do you rate this project? Poor OK Good Very Good Excellent Optional:  Attach a picture of your project (JPG, JPEG, GIF, PNG only) Optional:  Caption for picture characters left Thank you for your feedback! Related Links Science Fair Project Guide Visualizing Molecules in Three Dimensions Project Summary Difficulty  9  –  10  Time required Very Long (several weeks to months) Prerequisites Advanced biology course, or willingness to read up on such topics extensively. Material Availability A computer with Internet access is necessary for this project. Cost Very Low (under $20) Safety No issues Share this Project Idea! Donate to Science Buddies Sponsor Sponsored by generous grants from Bio-Rad and its Biotechnology Explorer program Inspiring minds want to know. Unravel the mysteries of biotech explorer.bio-rad.com

Career Focus

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	Biochemist Growing, aging, digesting—all of these are examples of chemical processes performed by living organisms. Biochemists study how these types of chemical actions happen in cells and tissues, and monitor what effects new substances, like food additives and medicines, have on living organisms.			Biologist Life is all around you in beauty, abundance, and complexity. Biologists are the scientists who study life in all its forms and try to understand fundamental life processes, and how life relates to its environment. They answer basic questions, like how do fireflies create light? Why do grunion fish lay their eggs based on the moon and tides? What genes control deafness? Why don't cancer cells die? How do plants respond to ultraviolet light? Beyond basic research, biologists might also apply their research and create new biotechnology. There are endless discoveries waiting to be found in the field of biology!
	Bioinformatics Scientist The human body can be viewed as a machine made up of complex processes. Scientists are working on figuring out how these processes work and on sequencing and correlating the sections of the genome that correspond to the individual processes. (The genome is an organism's complete set of genetic material.) In the course of doing so, they generate large amounts of data. So large, in fact, that to make sense of it, the data must be organized into databases and labeled. This is where bioinformatics scientists step in. They design databases and develop algorithms for processing and analyzing genomic and other biological information. These scientists work at the crossroads of biology and computer science.

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