Crystal Clear
Microscopic world
Can you guess the molecule?
Dorothy Hodgkin looked at how atoms fit together into very complicated molecules. She used X-ray crystallography to find out what penicillin and insulin look like. Knowing what the molecules look like has helped other scientists understand how these molecules work, and to make new medicines.
The Protein Data Bank is a huge online library of large
biological molecules. Data has been gathered from a number of
techniques, including X-ray crystallography, to produce the
information in the database:
http://www.rcsb.org/pdb/home/home.do
Click on Molecule of the Month for loads of background
information.
A - Cold virus
http://www.rcsb.org/pdb/static.do?p=education_discussion/molecule_of_the_month/pdb20_1.html
B - Amylase
http://www.rcsb.org/pdb/static.do?p=education_discussion/molecule_of_the_month/pdb74_1.html
C - DNA
http://www.rcsb.org/pdb/static.do?p=education_discussion/molecule_of_the_month/pdb23_1.html
D - Dengue virus
http://www.rcsb.org/pdb/static.do?p=education_discussion/molecule_of_the_month/pdb103_1.html
E - Prion
http://www.rcsb.org/pdb/static.do?p=education_discussion/molecule_of_the_month/pdb101_1.html
F - Insulin
http://www.rcsb.org/pdb/static.do?p=education_discussion/molecule_of_the_month/pdb14_1.html
Curriculum Links
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Science: |
QCA Unit 8C |
Microbes and Disease |
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QCA Unit 8E |
Atoms and elements |
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QCA Unit 9B |
Fit and Healthy |
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Curriculum Opportunities h) Explore contemporary and historic scientific developments, and how they have been communicated |
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History: |
Unit 20 |
Twentieth-century medicine |
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Unit 21 |
Scientific discoveries that changed the world |
Scottish Curriculum Links:
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Science |
SCN 3-12b |
Biological systems - Body systems and cells |
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SCN 4-15a |
Materials - Properties and uses of substances |
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SCN 4-20a |
Topical Science |
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Technologies |
TCH 3-01a |
Technological developments in society |
Microscopic world
X-ray crystallography has an enormous number of uses today. Pharmaceutical companies (companies that make drugs for use in medicine) use X-ray crystallography to find out what biological molecules are causing a disease, and how they attack the body. They will then look for other molecules to stop this attack.
With advances in computing, and ever more powerful sources of X-rays, scientists are using X-ray crystallography alongside other techniques to look at viruses. Knowing what a virus looks like is one of the first steps to understanding how they work. Scientists may be able to find out why viruses mutate (change their structure) over time and why these changes stop our immune systems from recognising the same virus each time.
| Key fact: X-ray crystallography is still used today,
and the information scientists discover about molecules from using
it is very important for helping to treat all kinds of
diseases. |
What do these really big biological molecules look like? Can you guess the molecule? Match the pictures with the description......
Take the quiz online here,
or download the pdf worksheet.