molecularlifesciences:

Jiri Klusak (jiriklusak) from Svitavy, CZECH REPUBLIC wins the IMAGE Second Prize for his image.
From: http://www.cgsociety.org/index.php/CGSFeatures/CGSFeatureSpecial/autopack_challenge_winners

Artist comments:
’Complex molecular landscape of key events in HIV lifecycle within blood serum: budding from dying T-Cell, maturation of HIV virion, attack of the immune system, finding and contact with the new host T-Cell, fusion with cell membrane and release of genetic material.

I spent a lot of time creating and animating functional model of HIV, based on AutoPACK. Basically I constructed HIV recipe, replaced all geometries with particle systems and re-instanced with new protein models. That allowed me to control HIV model dynamics and easily store HIV lifecycle animations via particle caching. Blood serum model is based on particle system instanced with AutoPACK generated protein geometries of valid concentrations and density.

For modelling of TCell interior I also exploited AutoPACK recipe for generic cytoplasm, added actin filaments and microtubules of different states and bilayer model with embeded proteins. Most of the AutoPACK HIV protein geometries were replaced using mMaya plugin. I also used Chimera during modelling of cellular scaffolding and especially to build GAG (GAG-Pol) molecules.

Created with Autodesk Maya as primary weapon of choice.

The goal was to depict my inner vision of dynamic and crowded molecular landscape and AutoPACK really convinced me to be an awesome tool for this purpose. Really appreciate your efforts, great job. Great challenge. I’ve been waiting for such opportunity for a very long time.

Judges’ comments:
”This is an inspirational example of what can be done with the software and models placed in the hands of a master of art and science. I’m very impressed that you pulled all of the software together into such a powerful tool set. The image is dazzling, informative, and thorough. I really hope you will finish the video versions that you put so much effort into as well… looks like you’re very close!” –G Johnson (host)

knockoutbaby:

Made me laugh :)

sciencenote:

It should be noted that beneficial, or at least non-pathogenic, characteristics of prions are reported for certain proteins of yeast and that analogous roles for mammalian prions have not been discovered. A commonly discussed yeast prion is [PSI +], the abnormal conformation of Sup35p, a protein that regulates translation termination. [PSI +] is said to be a genetic element and be inherited [9]. It can bestow a survival advantage by way of allowing translational read through that Sup35p normally suppresses, giving access to hidden genetic traits. Therefore cells have one-step access to multiple phenotypes via the conversion of a protein to its prion state, and such conversions are reported to occur in response to environmental change

teralilac:

Sherlock portrait by me 

missmonomi:

#swiggity swag i am the bag