RasMol is a computer program written for molecular graphics visualization intended and used mainly to depict and explore biological macromolecule structures, such as those found in the Protein Data Bank. It was originally developed by Roger Sayle in the early 1990s.
Historically, it was an important tool for molecular biologists since the extremely optimized program allowed the software to run on (then) modestly powerful personal computers. Before RasMol, visualization software ran on graphics workstations that, due to their cost, were less accessible to scholars. RasMol continues to be important for research in structural biology, and has become important in education.
RasMol has a complex licensing version history. Starting with the version 2.7 series, RasMol source code is dual-licensed under a GNU General Public License (GPL), or custom license RASLIC. Starting with version 2.7.5, a GPL is the only license valid for binary distributions.
RasMol includes a scripting language, to perform many functions such as selecting certain protein chains, changing colors, etc. Jmol and Sirius software have incorporated this language into their commands.
(PDB) files can be downloaded for visualization from members of the Worldwide Protein Data Bank (wwPDB). These have been uploaded by researchers who have characterized the structure of molecules usually by X-ray crystallography, protein NMR spectroscopy, or cryo-electron microscopy.
Rasmol can communicate with other programs via Tcl/Tk on Unix platforms, and via Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) on Microsoft Windows.
With a multiple sequence alignment program, the responsible Java class can be freely used in other applications.
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Ribbon diagrams, also known as Richardson diagrams, are 3D schematic representations of protein structure and are one of the most common methods of protein depiction used today. The ribbon depicts the general course and organisation of the protein backbone in 3D and serves as a visual framework for hanging details of the entire atomic structure, such as the balls for the oxygen atoms attached to myoglobin's active site in the adjacent figure. Ribbon diagrams are generated by interpolating a smooth curve through the polypeptide backbone.
The Protein Data Bank (PDB) is a database for the three-dimensional structural data of large biological molecules, such as proteins and nucleic acids. The data, typically obtained by X-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy, or, increasingly, cryo-electron microscopy, and submitted by biologists and biochemists from around the world, are freely accessible on the Internet via the websites of its member organisations (PDBe, PDBj, RCSB, and BMRB). The PDB is overseen by an organization called the Worldwide Protein Data Bank, wwPDB.
Background: The RCSB Protein Data Bank (PDB) provides public access to experimentally determined 3D-structures of biological macromolecules (proteins, peptides and nucleic acids). While various tools are available to explore the PDB, options to access the ...