Virtuelle (Nano) Welten PDB Molecule of the Month 86:Exosomes

Exploring the Structure

PDB entry 2c37 shows an exosome from an archaebacterial cell. It is simpler than the ones in our cells, composed of a ring of six subunits of two similar types. This structure includes two small pieces of RNA in two of the active sites. Notice how the active sites face into the central channel. When you go to look at this structure yourself, be sure to get the file for the biological unit, because the full PDB file includes four of these big rings!

This illustration was created with RasMol. You can create similar pictures by clicking on the accession codes here and picking one of the options under Images and Visualization.

To see some of the publications I used when researching this Molecule of the Month, click here. A list of 'exosome' related entries in the PDB as determined by a keyword search on February 02, 2007 is also available. For more information on exosomes from a genomic perspective, take a look at the Protein of the Month at the European Bioinformatics Institute.

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