The Dopamine Transporter and Cocaine
The dopamine transporter is a protein that resides in the membranes of our neurons. It plays an important role in controlling how much dopamine is used in the brain by acting as a gatekeeper. Dopamine has many functions in the nervous system, and different drugs can affect how much of it is used in the brain through the dopamine transporter. This poster was created to illustrate how the psychostimulant cocaine affects the behaviour of this important protein. Both dopamine and cocaine occupy the same binding site in the dopamine transporter. This means that when cocaine binds to it, dopamine cannot enter the neuron. The extra dopamine outside the neuron is largely the source of cocaine's psychostimulant effects.
Media: Visual Molecular Dynamics // Autodesk 3ds Max // Redshift // Adobe Photoshop
Process
1. Research
I began by researching the dopamine transporter on the PubMed database and the Protein Data Bank (PDB), an online platform that houses scientific literature on thousands of different proteins. I brought the data from the PDB into a software program called Visual Molecular Dynamics (VMD). This allowed me to visualize the different parts of the protein and better understand the literature.
2. Concept
Once I had read enough on the subject and decided on the story I was trying to convey, I sketched out several ideas about how I wanted to depict the major players. It seemed most appropriate to depict the protein in a transmembrane view (from the side) so that the audience could easily see how the two different ligands are oriented in the transporter protein.
3. Render
Once I was comfortable with the view I wanted to show, I exported all the pieces as 3D models from the VMD and opened them in a 3D modeling and animation program. I then placed everything in the correct alignment and created lights and materials. When all the render passes had been exported from the 3D modeling software, I composited them in Photoshop and added my text.
Reference
Wang, K. H., Penmasta, A., & Gouaux, E. 2015. Neurotransmitter and psychostimulant recognition be the dopamine transporter. Nature, 521 (7552), 322-327.