Final submitted image
Closeup of the modification site (orange), which is in close proximity to NADH (red) and the first iron-sulfur center (yellow-purple).
Final printed cover - August 2012
Tweaked version to thicken some of the coils and flexible loops. Re-rendered to poster size (3' x 3.5'). On permanent display in the University of Colorado-AMC Graduate School office.
Artwork for the cover of the Journal of Neuroscience (August 2012). Picture shows a model of the rat mitochondrial complex I, the first complex involved in the electron transport chain that generates cellular ATP. Our research showed that damage to this protein in a specific location (the orange spheres) close to the co-factor (red sticks) binding site cut the activity of this protein complex in half, resulting in reduced ATP production, greater reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and development of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). For more information, see Ryan KR, et al, J Neurosci, 2012, 32 (33) 11250-11258 (http://www.jneurosci.org/content/32/33/11250.short).
