Biomedical subjects

J B Heymann

Publications and source records attributed to J B Heymann.

21 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1994

Structural aspects of the cytochrome b6f complex; structure of the lumen-side domain of cytochrome f.

The following findings concerning the structure of the cytochrome b6f complex and its component polypeptides, cyt b6, subunit IV and cytochrome f subunit are discussed: (1) Comparison of the amino acid sequences of 13 and 16 cytochrome b6 and subunit IV polypeptides, respectively, led to (a) reconsideration of the helix lengths and probable interface regions, (b) identification of two likely surface-seeking helices in cyt b6 and one in SU IV, and (c) documentation of a high degree of sequence invariance compared to the mitochondrial cytochrome. The extent of identity is particularly high (88% for conserved and pseudoconserved residues) in the segments of cyt b6 predicted to be extrinsic on the n-side of the membrane. (2) The intramembrane attractive forces between trans-membrane helices that normally stabilize the packing of integral membrane proteins are relatively weak. (3) The complex isolated in dimeric form has been visualized, along with isolated monomer, by electron microscopy. The isolated dimer is much more active than the monomer, is the major form of the complex isolated and purified from chloroplasts, and is inferred to be a functional form in the membrane. (4) The isolated cyt b6f complex contains one molecule of chlorophyll a. (5) The structure of the 252 residue lumen-side domain of cytochrome f isolated from turnip chloroplasts has been solved by X-ray diffraction analysis to a resolution of 2.3 A.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Visualizing 3D data obtained from microscopy on the Internet.

The Internet is a powerful communication medium increasingly exploited by business and science alike, especially in structural biology and bioinformatics. The traditional presentation of static two-dimensional images of real-world objects on the limited medium of paper can now be shown interactively in three dimensions. Many facets of this new capability have already been developed, particularly in the form of VRML (virtual reality modeling language), but there is a need to extend this capability for visualizing scientific data. Here we introduce a real-time isosurfacing node for VRML, based on the marching cube approach, allowing interactive isosurfacing. A second node does three-dimensional (3D) texture-based volume-rendering for a variety of representations. The use of computers in the microscopic and structural biosciences is extensive, and many scientific file formats exist. To overcome the problem of accessing such data from VRML and other tools, we implemented extensions to SGI's IFL (image format library). IFL is a file format abstraction layer defining communication between a program and a data file. These technologies are developed in support of the BioImage project, aiming to establish a database prototype for multidimensional microscopic data with the ability to view the data within a 3D interactive environment.

Animals↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Bsoft: image and molecular processing in electron microscopy.

Software for the processing of electron micrographs in structural biology suffers from incompatibility between different packages, poor definition and choice of conventions, and a lack of coherence in software development. The solution lies in adopting a common philosophy of interaction and conventions between the packages. To understand the choices required to have such common interfaces, I am developing a package called "Bsoft." Its foundations lie in the variety of different image file formats used in electron microscopy-a continually frustrating experience to the user and programmer alike. In Bsoft, this problem is greatly diminished by support for many different formats (including MRC, SPIDER, IMAGIC, SUPRIM, and PIF) and by separating algorithmic issues from image format-specific issues. In addition, I implemented a generalized functionality for reading the tag-base STAR (self-defining text archiving and retrieval) parameter file format as a mechanism to exchanging parameters between different packages. Bsoft is written in highly portable code (tested on several Unix systems and under VMS) and offers a continually growing range of image processing functionality, such as Fourier transformation, cross-correlation, and interpolation. Finally, prerequisites for software collaboration are explored, which include agreements on information exchange and conventions, and tests to evaluate compatibility between packages.

Computer Systems↗