Interactive 3D Protein in PowerPoint
Students of many disciplines are required to study 3D protein structure to investigate structure-function relation, protein-protein interactions, receptors, ligand-binding and so on, all requiring them to view and comprehend 3D protein structures. The protein structure images available in textbooks and used to teach in class are fixed and two-dimensional. Developing a mental model of the 3D protein and binding sites from a 2D static picture is challenging for students. 3D protein viewers are expensive and require additional time to learn the software’s controls, often not feasible in a 50-minute traditional lecture time.
We have used the ICM-Browser and ActiveICM plugin in PowerPoint to embed interactive 3D protein structure viewer. The plugin allows students to freely rotate, magnify, and interact with the 3D protein structures in a traditional PowerPoint presentation.
Resources to embed an interactive 3D protein model in PowerPoint
ICM-Browser: From Molsoft
ActiveICM plugin
Creating an interactive 3D protein for PowerPoint presentation
01.
Download the ICM-Browser from Molsoft.
02.
Open a PDB file of protein structure in the ICM-Browser. Prepare protein structure (e.g., ribbon, surface, etc).
03.
Once the structure is prepared, click the camera icon (Red arrow in Figure 1) at the bottom of the screen to capture the protein as a slide (blue arrow).
04.
To incorporate the slides from ICM-Browser, download and install the ActiveICM plugin, which appears under the developer tab in Microsoft PowerPoint (Figure 2).
