News
PDB-101 Focus: Peak Performance
07/22 
Since 2014, PDB-101 has focused on different topics to help build a collection molecular stories around a particular theme. Past topics have included cancer and diabetes.
In 2025, PDB-101 will highlight the structural stories of Peak Performance: the structural biology of athletics and well-being.
Athletes require bodies that are the best that is possible, all the way from molecules to muscles. By understanding the structure and function of our molecules, athletes can ensure that they are performing at their peak. This knowledge also informs the ways that we all can live our best lives, at all stages of our lives.
Visit the PDB-101 Peak Performance Browser for resources such as:
Fatty acids are essential for energy storage and are vital components of various tissues. Fatty Acid Synthase (FAS) is the master architect behind the construction of these fats. FAS is a sophisticated enzymatic system comprising two identical protein subunits, each folded into seven interconnected functional domains. It functions like an assembly line, with each domain catalyzing a distinct step in the reaction and with the growing fatty acid chain being transferred from one active site to the next. These active sites are marked with bright flashes.
Visit the 2025 Calendar: The Structural Biology of Nutrition to learn more.
Illustration by RCSB PDB intern Xinyi Christine Zhang.
