Protein Visualization - Ribbon Diagram

Molecule Tutorials - Herong's Tutorial Examples

∟Protein Visualization - Ribbon Diagram

This section provides a quick introduction of protein ribbon diagrams, which uses flat ribbon arrows for beta sheets, and twisted ribbon for alpha helices.

What Is Ribbon Diagram? - A ribbon diagram is a diagram to visualize a protein conformation using ribbons and wires to represent its secondary structures in 3-dimensions.

Here some common conventions used in protein ribbon diagram:

Flat Ribbon Arrow - Represents a section of protein sequence in a beta sheet structure. The arrow indicates the C-terminal direction.
Twisted Ribbon - Represents a section of protein sequence in an alpha helix structure.
Bended Wire - Represents a section of protein sequence in in a loop or turn structure.

The picture below provides a good illustration of a protein ribbon diagram (source: uvm.edu). Note that two small molecules are included in the diagram showing how they are bonded (enclosed) in empty spaces inside the protein.