Cn3D 4.3.1

Cn3D (to be read "see in 3D") is an application offered as support for web browsers so that one can view 3D structures from the NCBI Entrez Structure database. NCBI (The National Center for Biotechnology Information) has an available online library where genome sequencing data can be found in the GenBank section, biomedical research articles in the PubMed and PubMed Central sections and other biotechnology-related information can be accessed.

Cn3D permits the simultaneous display of structure, sequence and alignment of bio-molecules. The program can process data from NCBI's MMDB database, where structures of proteins, DNA and RNA that are derived from PDB (Protein Data Bank) can be found. There are two windows that the utility will open for each selected file, one where the 3D structure will be displayed and the "sequence/alignment viewer", where the amino acid sequence of proteins will be shown. In the first window, the structure can be rotated by the user for better exploration or it can automatically spin in animation mode. The utility can make appropriate correlations between structure and sequence information. When selecting a section of the amino acid sequence in the sequence viewer, its correspondent will be highlighted on the 3D model shown in the structure viewer.

Cn3D is a utility for professional specialists in the genetics and bioinformatics fields who access the NCBI online database and need to view the 3D structures of bio-molecules and to see their correlation with amino-acid sequences.