Informational poster
Pathology of Diphtheria
Year
2024
Media
PyMOL, Cinema 4D, Redshift, Adobe Photoshop
Description
A poster outlining the basic etiology of diphtheria, along with the mechanisms of action of the A/B toxin. The left side describes the fundamentals of the disease, while the right illustrates the protein of the A/B toxin being engulfed by the cell, disrupting ribosomes and leading to cell death. The surrounding environment highlights the formation of the pseudomembrane, a classic symptom of diphtheria.
This poster is meant for first-year pathology residents.
Close-up of the toxin’s mechanism of action.
Diptheria toxin bound to HB-EGF receptor, PyMol
Using PyMol
I found several PDBs of the diphtheria toxin, including one bound to its receptor, the complete structure of the toxin, and the individual domains. In PyMOL, I aligned each domain to the full structure (1F0L) and exported each aligned domain along with HB-EGF as separate .pdb files for import into Cinema 4D via ePMV. There, I textured and posed each domain to effectively tell the story.
Making the Image
In Cinema 4D, I built a lipid bilayer to scale with the imported molecules, along with a vesicle and outer membrane.
I made models for other elements in the scene.
Bacteriophage model.
Positioned toxin.
Environment created in C4D.
Enviroment
I designed the environment using a combination of cloners for the cells and a volume builder for the fibrosis. To create the cilia, I utilized hair simulation. For the bacteria, I applied gravity to allow them to scatter randomly and bounce off the cell surface. I completed the environment in Photoshop to enhance texture and add detailed cell features.