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How to: View the 3D structure of a protein

Starting with...

A PDB CODE (e.g. 1B8G)

  1. Go to the Structure Home Page.
  2. Enter the PDB code in the search box and press the Go button.
  3. Click a structure image to access its record page
  4. Scroll to the molecular graphic section and click on the spin icon to load an interactive view of the structure within the web page. Alternatively, click on the launch icon to open the advanced (full feature) version of iCn3D, NCBI's web-based 3D structure viewer, in a separate window.

A PDB-FORMAT FILE THAT IS NOT IN PDB

  1. Try out the new interactive 3D structure viewer, iCn3D.
  2. Click "File" and select "Open File" > "PDB File".
  3. Select the file, and click "Load".
  4. The 3D view of the structure you have uploaded will now be displayed.

A PROTEIN ACCESSION NUMBER (e.g. NP_000240) OR SEQUENCE

  1. Use the Finding a Structural Template guide to find the most appropriate PDB structure.
  2. Continue with step 1 under "a PDB code" above.