Irina Bezsonova
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irinabezsonova.bsky.social
Irina Bezsonova
@irinabezsonova.bsky.social
🇺🇦 Associate professor UCONN Health. NMR, structural biology, ubiquitination, sumoylation, DUBs, sciArt
This October I’m drawing 1 molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social

Day 23/31
Prompt FIREFLY
Pdb: 2D1R

Luciferase: firefly enzyme catalyzes a light-producing reaction that makes fireflies glow.

Next: ROWDY
Suggestions?
November 7, 2025 at 3:22 AM
This October I’m drawing 1 molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social

Day 22/31
Prompt BUTTON
Pdb: 1ZXK

Like tiny buttons, cell adhesion proteins such as this Cadherin-8 hold cells together to form tissues.

Next: FIREFLY
Suggestions?
November 5, 2025 at 3:47 AM
This October I’m drawing 1 molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social

Day 21/31
Prompt BLAST
Pdb: 1GVR

An oxidoreductase enzyme PETN from bacterium Enterobacter cloacae can bind and degrade high explosives such as TNT 💥

Next: BUTTON
Suggestions?
November 3, 2025 at 10:18 PM
This October I’m drawing 1 molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social

Day 20/31
Prompt RIVALS
Pdb: 8V27 & 8G6S

Two rival histone modifications on a nucleosome. Ubiquitination of H2BK120 activates genes while H2AK119 represses them.

Next: BLAST
Suggestions?
November 2, 2025 at 3:11 AM
I’ve been traveling to fun places and meeting awesome people at the IPS meeting in Brazil but falling behind on my inktober artwork. Here is the preview for the prompt RIVAL.
Guess what it is!
October 31, 2025 at 12:02 PM
This October I’m drawing 1 molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social

Day 19/31
Prompt ARCTIC
Pdb: 3UYU

Meet ice-binding protein (LeIBP) from Arctic yeast that acts like antifreeze!

Next: RIVALS
Suggestions?
October 21, 2025 at 2:41 AM
This October I’m drawing 1 molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social

Day 18/31
Prompt DEAL
Pdb: 9MKL

A handshaking dimer of a tRNA deacylase strikes a deal to keep translation faithful.

Next: ARCTIC
Suggestions?
October 19, 2025 at 11:13 PM
This October I’m drawing 1 molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social

Day 17/31
Prompt ORNATE
Pdb: 9MME

For the Escher fans!
An ornate molecular cage made entirely of RNA.

Next: DEAL
Suggestions?
October 19, 2025 at 2:54 AM
This October I’m drawing 1 molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social

Day 16/31
Prompt BLUNDER
Pdb: 8G5J

DNA mismatch blunder being fixed by mitochondrial DNA polymerase γ.

Next: ORNATE
Suggestions?
October 18, 2025 at 4:54 AM
This October I’m drawing 1 molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social

Day 15/31
Prompt RAGGED
Pdb: 2W8M

A rugged nuclease D212 from a virus that preys on archaea in the scalding waters of hot springs.

Next: BLUNDER
Suggestions?
October 17, 2025 at 2:45 AM
Week 2 of inktober is over! Here are my first drafts.
October 16, 2025 at 3:33 AM
This October I’m drawing 1 molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social

Day 14/31
Prompt TRUNK
Pdb: 1FNY

Lectin. This old tree house is made of a lectin protein found in the bark of a black locust tree, Robinia pseudoacacia.

Next: RAGGED
Suggestions?
October 16, 2025 at 1:16 AM
Our new paper is finally out today. An exciting collaboration with the Buhrlage lab. We report an allosteric activator of USP7.
www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...
PNAS
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...
www.pnas.org
October 14, 2025 at 6:20 PM
This October I’m drawing 1 molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social

Day 13
Prompt DRINK
Pdb: 7BTW

A pair of mitochondrial outer membrane β-barrel SAM complexes from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the yeast used to make beer.
Cheers!

Next: TRUNK
Suggestions?
October 14, 2025 at 5:57 AM
This October I’m drawing 1 molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social

Day 12
Prompt SHREDDED
Pdb: 6TUB

β-Endorphin.
The protein precursor POMC is shredded by proteases into multiple peptide hormones, including β-endorphin.

Next: DRINK
Suggestions?
October 13, 2025 at 3:34 AM
This October I’m drawing 1 molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social

Day 11
Prompt STING
Pdb: 6MZT

Scorpion venom protein Urotoxin.

Next:SHREDDED
Suggestions?
October 12, 2025 at 7:23 PM
This October I’m drawing 1 molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social

Day 10
Prompt SWEEP
Pdb: 7NAP

Proteasome: the cleanup machine. It breaks down damaged or unneeded proteins, keeping the cell neat and efficient.

Next: STiNG
Suggestions?
October 12, 2025 at 3:14 AM
A fantastic place to work and live!
9 days to go:
* 2 x open positions!
* Exceptional environment, competitive start-up package
* University of Toronto appointments
* Toronto has great (and peaceful) quality of life!
JOB ALERT 🚨 We are hiring TWO principal investigators in cell, molecular, systems, or chemical biology in Toronto, Canada at @sinaihealth.bsky.social. We provide a generous startup, fully funded salary and academic appointment at U of Toronto.

www.nature.com/naturecareer...

Please repost!
October 12, 2025 at 1:08 AM
This October I’m drawing 1 molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social

Day 9
Prompt HEAVY
Pdb: 4DL6

Heavy metal therapy. Platinum-based cancer drug cisplatin damages DNA but DNA polymerase eta manages to copy it past the lesion.

Next: SWEEP
Suggestions?
October 10, 2025 at 4:46 AM
This October I’m drawing 1 molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social

Day 8
Prompt RECKLESS
Pdb: 5TZO

A reckless surge. Two molecules of fentanyl engulfed by its computationally designed binder Fen49*

Next: HEAVY
Suggestions?
October 9, 2025 at 3:26 AM
Week 1 of first drafts :)
October 9, 2025 at 3:24 AM
This October I’m drawing 1 molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social

Day 7
Prompt STARFISH
Pdb: 6KG7

Starfish relies on sensory information.
This is Piezo 2 - mechanically activated ion channel responsible for the sense of touch.

Next: RECKLESS
Suggestions?
October 8, 2025 at 4:13 AM
This October I’m drawing 1 molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social

Day 6
Prompt PIERCE
Pdb: 8HO3 8HQO 8HQZ 8HRE 8HRG

Structure of a bacteriophage DT57C that carries a special piercing tip to attack bacteria.

Next: STARFISH
Suggestions?
October 7, 2025 at 4:33 AM
This October I’m drawing 1 molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social

Day 5
Prompt DEER
Pdb 4YXH

Two molecules of a deer prion protein decorate its head. Misfolded prions can make other prions to misfold causing neurodegenerative diseases in mammals.

Next: PIERCE
Suggestions?
October 6, 2025 at 5:10 AM
This October I’m drawing 1 molecule a day inspired by proteins in pdb @rcsbpdb.bsky.social

Day 4
Prompt MURKY
Pdb 8T1M

Domain with unidentified function 1842 from pathogenic bacteria (thanks Leah)

There are many proteins with known structures but their function remains murky.

Next DEER
October 5, 2025 at 4:16 AM