Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 31, 2026

Protocol for Recombinant RBD-based SARS Vaccines: Protein Preparation, Animal Vaccination and Neutralization Detection
Published on: May 2, 2011
RCSB Protein Data Bank resources for structure-facilitated design of mRNA vaccines for existing and emerging viral
David S Goodsell1, Stephen K Burley2
1RCSB Protein Data Bank and Institute for Quantitative Biomedicine, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, NJ 08854, USA; Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08903, USA; Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
Abstract:
Structural biologists provide direct insights into the molecular bases of human health and disease. The open-access Protein Data Bank (PDB) stores and delivers three-dimensional (3D) biostructure data that facilitate discovery and development of therapeutic agents and diagnostic tools. We are in the midst of a revolution in vaccinology. Non-infectious mRNA vaccines have been proven during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This new technology underpins nimble discovery and clinical development platforms that use knowledge of 3D viral protein structures for societal benefit. The RCSB PDB supports vaccine designers through expert biocuration and rigorous validation of 3D structures; open-access dissemination of structure information; and search, visualization, and analysis tools for structure-guided design efforts. This resource article examines the structural biology underpinning the success of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) mRNA vaccines and enumerates some of the many protein structures in the PDB archive that could guide design of new countermeasures against existing and emerging viral pathogens.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Conjugated Proteins
Nucleoproteins are protein complexes that contain nucleic acids, categorized as deoxyribonucleoproteins (DNPs) or ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) respectively. The nucleosome is a typical example of a DNP where nuclear DNA is associated with histone proteins. The major antigen for the Covid-19 virus SARS-CoV is an RNP that is critical...
Leaky Scanning
Rab Proteins
Rab proteins switch between a cytosolic, GDP-bound inactive state and a membrane-anchored, GTP-bound active state. By themselves, Rabs show slow rates of GDP/GTP exchange and GTP hydrolysis. Thus, Rab proteins are considered...
Rous Sarcoma Virus (RSV) and Cancer
RSV is a retrovirus that contains two copies of a plus-strand RNA genome. Its genome consists of four main open...
Viruses with RNA Genomes
Respiratory Syncytial Virus Disease

