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Erin Johnson (Los Angeles, CA, USA)
“Sticky Ends” is an animation about the formation of amyloid fibrils, made in collaboration with the Structural Biology Lab of Ansgar Siemer at the University of Southern California’s (USC) Zilkha Neurogenetic Institute. This video depicts the following: 1) complex molecular environment, 2) initial connection of two monomers, 3) growth of a complete fibril, 4) “sticky ends,” i.e., the hydrophobic surface on the inner wall of each monomer that encourages expansion, and 5) twisted arrangement of the staggered beta strands. The fibril structure used is the human islet amyloid polypeptide formed in type 2 diabetes, provided by the laboratory of Ralf Langen (USC). Animated with Autodesk Maya, this simulation takes advantage of BulletPhysics and the Hair System to achieve extremely controlled dynamic motion. In addition, ZBrush 4R6 (industry standard for digital sculpting) is used to create complex, detailed textures, evoking the beauty and paradox of these structures that express both functional and pathological aspects in the human body. Other tools used include Molecular Maya, cellPack, and the Protein Data Bank. This film is a work in progress to be com