Biased Signaling in the Mu-Opioid Receptor
THE CHALLENGE
To research, develop, and visualize a molecular mechanism of action story.
THE SOLUTION
This image captures an activated mu-opioid receptor bound to a Gi protein, with a beta-arrestin lurking in the intracellular environment. The mu-opioid receptor and Gi protein are portrayed with ribbon structures that give a sense of their architecture, and transparent surface structures that provide information about their volume.
AUDIENCE
Educated audience
CLIENT
Evelyn Maizels
COMPLETED
December, 2019
MEDIUM
Visual Molecular Dynamics (VMD), Autodesk 3ds Max, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign
FORMAT
20 x 24 (digital and print)
Process and Development
MOLECULAR VISUALIZATION
I began by extensively researching the protein of interest. I downloaded molecular models from the Protein Data Bank (https://www.rcsb.org/). In Visual Molecular Dynamics (VMD), I created different representations of this protein, and used data from the Orientation of Protein Membranes (https://opm.phar.umich.edu/) and MemProtMD (http://memprotmd.bioch.ox.ac.uk/) to determine this molecules proper alignment within a membrane.
PDB Molecule ID: 6dde
Screenshot from Visual Molecular Dynamics
PDB Molecule ID: 6dde
Screenshot from Visual Molecular Dynamics
STORYBOARD DEVELOPMENT
After research and initial protein visualization, I created a storyboard, allowing me to explore various different stories about the mu-opioid receptor.
3-D MODELING AND COMPOSITING
After solidifying a story, I used Autodesk 3ds Max to arrange the proteins and light the scene. Finally, I used Adobe Photoshop for compositing, which allowed me to create a captivating environment for this molecule.
Initial layout
Explorations in lighting and text composition
Initial Compositing
REFERENCES
Darcq, E., & Kieffer, B. L. (2018). Opioid receptors: drivers to addiction?. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 19(8), 499-514.
Goodsell, D. (2018, January). Opioid receptors. Retrieved from: https: / /pdb101.rcsb.org/motm/217
Koehl, A., Hu, H., Maeda, S., Zhang, Y., Qu, Q., Paggi, J. M., ... & Schertler, G. F. (2018). Structure of the µ-opioid receptor–G i protein complex. Nature, 558(7711), 547-552.
Valentino, R. J., & Volkow, N. D. (2018). Untangling the complexity of opioid receptor function. Neuropsychopharmacology, 43(13), 2514-2520.