Journal cover mockup
Informational poster
Haspin Binding to a DNA Supergroove
Client
Fabian de Kok-Mercado, Lydia Gregg, Cynthia Wolberger
Year
2024
Media
PyMOL, Cinema 4D, Redshift, Adobe Photoshop
Description
A cover submitted to Nature Structural & Molecular Biology by the Wolberger Lab at Johns Hopkins University. This illustration shows a histone-modifying enzyme, Haspin, that has a novel binding location – directly onto the nucleosomal DNA within a condensed chromatin enviroment.
I also created an informational graphic to accompany the paper, serving as an educational tool and a visual aid to help explain her work
Protien on histone within PyMol
Using PyMol
The content expert provided her research along with a PDB file of the protein. I visualized and planned the illustration using PyMOL, then imported the PDB file into Cinema 4D using ePMV.
Making the Image
Within Cinema 4D, I used ePMV to create custom DNA for the composition and ensured the surface was clean for the final render. I referenced my thumbnails to build the scene effectively. I rendered multiple versions of the composition using Redshift. Afterward, I used Photoshop to touch up the piece and combine different render passes for the most impactful image.
Screenshot of the viewport within Cinema4D
Test render before adding materials.
Diadetic colors to match the colors used in the content expert’s paper.
Alternate Visuals
Afterward, I created an alternate version of the protein and histone that matched the color coding used in Dr. Wolberger’s paper and added a key for clarity.