Insights from 20 Years of the Molecule of the Month and PDB‐101

Abstract

For 20 years, Molecule of the Month articles have highlighted the functional stories of the 3D structures found in the Protein Data Bank (PDB). The PDB is the primary archive of atomic structures of biological molecules, currently providing open access to more than 150,000 structures studied by researchers around the world. The wealth of knowledge embodied in this resource is remarkable, with structures that allow exploration of nearly any biomolecular topic, from basic science of genetic mechanisms, to the mechanisms of photosynthesis, to central biomedical topics like cancer therapy, and the fight against infectious disease. The central motivation behind the Molecule of the Month is to provide a user‐friendly introduction to this rich body of data, charting a path for users to get started with finding and exploring the many available structures.Molecule of the Month articles and images are freely available at the education portal PDB‐101 (http://pdb101.rcsb.org/), offering an ongoing resource for molecular biology educators and students around the world. Features are used to develop additional PDB‐101 materials, from posters to interactive animations.PDB‐101 usage, trends, and impact are described.Support or Funding InformationPDB‐101 and the RCSB PDB are funded by the National Science Foundation (DBI‐1832184), the US Department of Energy (DE‐SC0019749), and the National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under grant R01GM133198.Image of Measles Virus Proteins from the March 2019 Molecule of the Month. The article has been viewed more than 13,000 times to date.Figure 1