Jane & Dave & Hal, Jr.

David C. Richardson

Professor of Biochemistry

Jane S. Richardson

James B. Duke Professor of Biochemistry


Contact Information

Telephone: (919) 684-6010

Fax: (919) 684-8885

e-mail dcrjsr AT kinemage.biochem.duke.edu

Mailing Address

Department of Biochemistry

211 Nanaline H. Duke

Box 3711, DUMC

Durham, NC 27710

Research Interests

Structural Bioinformatics

3D structure validation and improvement for protein and RNA

more ...

JavaMage

JavaMage is the earliest and simplest version of our interactive web graphics. The Java picture is a "kinemage" (kinetic image). To rotate in 3-D, drag slowly with the mouse. To identify a point, click on it; to measure a distance, click on each end point. To see the fuller implementation in KiNG, try the MolProbity link above.

Research Interests

The long-term goal of the Richardson lab is to contribute to a deeper understanding of the 3D structures of proteins, including their description, determinants, folding, evolution, and control. This has now been broadened to include RNA structures. Our approaches include structural bioinformatics, macromolecular crystallography, molecular graphics, analysis of structures, and methods development, currently focussed on the improvement of structural accuracy.

Following on two of the earliest protein crystallographic structures (Staphylococcal nuclease and Cu,ZN superoxide dismutase), our continuing analysis and comparison of protein structures then led to an early classification system, new overall folds (such as the Greek key beta barrel, and what is now called the SS beta cross), and description of many new small-scale features (such as right-handed crossovers, beta bulges, helix N-caps and C-caps, and cisPro touch-turns). We now also analyze structural motifs in RNA, including an all-angle definition of conformers for RNA backbone.

We develop methods for representing protein structure, most notably the hand drawings that popularized ribbon schematics and formed the basis for the present computer ribbon drawings. We develop software to fill what we see as unmet needs, most notably kinemages (molecular graphics optimized for the communication of specific ideas in 3D) and the associated Mage and KiNG display programs, free software on Mac, PC, and Linux, widely used for teaching and databases as well as for research. Mage and KiNG incorporate many functions for analyzing and rebuilding macromolecules, including the "Backrub" tool for making realistic local movements in protein backbone.

We were among the first groups to do protein de novo design and made designs in all 4 of the major tertiary-structure types, using complex, native-like sequences (e. g., betabellin, Felix, babarellin, and SScorin). We introduced the concept of negative design, and we first pointed out the general problem of the more-or-less molten nature of most fully de novo designs. In order to treat internal packing in quantitative detail, we developed an all-atom contact algorithm to quantify and visualize the geometric details of molecular interaction; it uses all explicit H atoms and a very small probe sphere to show those surface patches where atoms are within 0.5 Å of exact van der Waals contact. This method gives a sensitive description of packing quality within or between molecules, for use in protein or drug design, for understanding structural features and interactions, and for designing non-disruptive mutations. All-atom contact analysis, along with crystallographic B-factors, allowed us to construct much-improved libraries and data distributions for protein sidechain rotamers and Ramachandran phi,psi backbone angles. All of these validation analyses can be run interactively on the MolProbity web service, including optimized hydrogen addition and automated correction of "flipped" sidechain amide or histidine orientations.

All-atom steric clashes are a powerful and sensitive way of finding problems in molecular structures, and even of suggesting how to make corrections. As part of the SECSG structural genomics effort, we used MolProbity diagnosis along with rebuilding and refinement on 29 SECSG structures, producing modest improvements in traditional crystallographic measures (R, Rfree, geometry, real-space residual) and dramatic order-of-magnitude improvements in all-atom clashscore and rotamer and Ramachandran outliers. We are now working to extend applicability to RNA and to NMR structures, and, as part of the PHENIX software team, to further integrate and automate these techniques in crystallography. A long-term vision is to enable the determination of accurate models even from low-resolution data.

Recent Publications (from "about us/papers" in the kinemage web site)


(2.2MB)
2011Read
 

Randy J. Read, Paul D. Adams, W. Bryan Arendall III, Axel T. Brunger, Paul Emsley, Robbie P. Joosten, Gerard J. Kleywegt, Eugene B. Krissinel, Thomas Lütteke, Zbyszek Otwinowski, Anastassis Perrakis, Jane S. Richardson, William H. Sheffler, Janet L. Smith, Ian J. Tickle, Gert Vriend, and Peter H. Zwart (2011) "A New Generation of Crystallographic Validation Tools for the Protein Data Bank" Structure 19:1395-1412. doi: 10.1016/j.str.2011.08.006 (open access)

   

Paul D. Adams, Pavel V. Afonine, Gábor Bunkóczi, Vincent B. Chen, Nathaniel Echols, Jeffrey J. Headd, Li-Wei Hung, Swati Jain, Gary J. Kapral, Ralf W. Grosse Kunstleve, Airlie J. McCoy, Nigel W. Moriarty, Robert D. Oeffner, Randy J. Read, David C. Richardson, Jane S. Richardson, Thomas C. Terwilliger, Peter H. Zwart (2011) "The Phenix software for automated determination of macromolecular structures" Methods 55:94-106. doi: 10.1016/j.ymeth.2011.07.005


(2.2MB)
2011Dunkle
 

Jack A. Dunkle, Leyi Wang, Michael B. Feldman, Arto Pulk, Vincent B. Chen, Gary J. Kapral, Jonas Noeske, Jane S. Richardson, Scott C. Blanchard, and Jamie H. Doudna Cate(2011) "Structures of the Bacterial Ribosome in Classical and Hybrid States of tRNA Binding" Science 332:981-984. doi: 10.1126/science.1202692


(1.1MB)
2011Hoehndorf
 

Robert Hoehndorf, Colin Batchelor, Thomas Bittner, Michel Dumontier, Karen Eilbeck, Rob Knight, Chris J. Mungall, Jane S. Richardson, Jesse Stombaugh, Eric Westhof, Craig L. Zirbel and Neocles B. Leontis (2011) "The RNA Ontology (RNAO): An ontology for integrating RNA sequence and structure data" Applied Ontology 6:53-89. doi: /10.3233/AO-2011-0082 (open access)


(2.2MB)
2011Tyka
SuppData

Michael D. Tyka, Daniel A. Keedy, Ingemar André, Frank DiMaio, Yifan Song, David C. Richardson, Jane S. Richardson and David Baker (2011) "Alternate States of Proteins Revealed by Detailed Energy Landscape Mapping" J Mol Biol 405(2):607-618. doi: /10.1016/j.jmb.2010.11.008 (open access)


(152KB)
2010Adams
 

Paul D. Adams, Pavel V. Afonine, Gábor Bunkóczi, Vincent B. Chen, Ian W. Davis, Nathaniel Echols, Jeffrey J. Headd, Li-Wei Hung, Gary J. Kapral, Ralf W. Grosse-Kunstleve, Airlie J. McCoy, Nigel W. Moriarty, Robert Oeffner, Randy J. Read, David C. Richardson, Jane S. Richardson, Thomas C. Terwilliger and Peter H. Zwart (2010) "PHENIX: a comprehensive Python-based system for macromolecular structure solution" Acta Crystallographica D: Biological Crystallography D66:213-221. doi: 10.1107/S0907444909052925 (open access)


(61.1MB)
2009Headd
 

Jeffrey J. Headd (2009) "Analysis and Error Correction in Structures of Macromolecular Interiors and Interfaces"  Doctoral Dissertation; Computational Biology & Bioinformatics Program; Duke University, 215 pages.


(1.6MB)
2010Chen
 

Vincent B. Chen, W. Bryan Arendall III, Jeffrey J. Headd, Daniel A. Keedy, Robert M. Immormino, Gary J. Kapral, Laura W. Murray, Jane S. Richardson and David C. Richardson (2010) "MolProbity: all-atom structure validation for macromolecular crystallography" Acta Crystallographica D: Biological Crystallography D66:12-21 doi: 10.1107/S0907444909042073 (open access)


(205KB)
2009Adams
 

Paul D. Adams, Pavel V. Afonine, Ralf W. Grosse-Kunstleve, Randy J. Read, Jane S. Richardson, David C .Richardson and Thomas C. Terwilliger (2009) "Recent developments in phasing and structure refinement for macromolecular crystallography" Current Opinion in Structural Biology 19:566-572 doi: 10.1016/j.sbi.2009.07.014


(643KB)
2009Chen
 

Vincent B. Chen, Ian Davis and David C. Richardson (2009) "KiNG (Kinemage, Next Generation): A versatile interactive molecular and scientific visualization program" Protein Science 18:2403-2409 doi: 10.1002/pro.250 (open access)


(1.5MB)
2009Keedy
SuppData

Daniel A. Keedy, Christopher J. Williams, Jeffrey J. Headd, W. Bryan Arendall III, Vincent B. Chen, Gary J. Kapral, Robert A. Gillespie, Jeremy N. Block, Adam Zemla, David C. Richardson and Jane S. Richardson (2009) "The other 90% of the protein: Assessment beyond the Cαs for CASP8 template-based and high-accuracy models" Proteins: Structure, Function and Bioinformatics 77(Suppl 9):29-49 doi: 10.1002/prot.22551


(471KB)
2009Tress
 

Michael L. Tress, Iakes Ezkurdia and Jane S. Richardson (2009) "Target domain definition and classification in CASP8" Proteins: Structure, Function and Bioinformatics 77(Suppl 9):10-17doi: 10.1002/prot.22497


(2.7MB)
2009Bourne
Book Link

Jane S. Richardson and David C. Richardson (2009)" The Impact of Local Accuracy In Protein and RNA Structures: Validation As an Active Tool" Chapter 15 in Structural Bioinformatics, 2nd Edition, ed. J. Gu and P. Bourne. Wiley (New York).


(1.1MB)
2009Block
 

Jeremy N. Block, David J. Zielinski, Vincent B. Chen, Ian W. Davis, E. Claire Vinson, Rachael Brady, Jane S. Richardson and David C. Richardson (2009) "KinImmerse: Macromolecular VR for NMR ensembles"  Source Code for Biology and Medicine 4:3. doi: 10.1186/1751-0473-4-3 (open access)


(450KB)
2009Headd
SuppData

Jeffrey J. Headd, Robert M. Immormino, Daniel A. Keedy, Paul Emsley, David C. Richardson and Jane S. Richardson (2009) "Autofix for backward-fit sidechains: using MolProbity and real-space refinement to put misfits in their place" Journal of Structural and Functional Genomics 10:83-93. doi: 10.1007/s10969-008-9045-8 (open access)


(488KB)
2008Georgiev
 

Ivelin Georgiev, Daniel Keedy, Jane S. Richardson, David C. Richardson and Bruce R. Donald (2008) "Algorithm for backrub motions in protein design" Bioinformatics 24:i196-i204. doi: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btn169 (open access)


(1.1MB)
2008ROC
SuppData 

Jane S. Richardson, Bohdan Schneider, Laura W. Murray, Gary J. Kapral, Robert M. Immormino, Jeffrey J. Headd, David C. Richardson, Daniela Ham, Eli Hershkovits, Loren Dean Williams, Kevin S. Keating, Anna Marie Pyle, David Micallef, John Westbrook and Helen M. Berman (2008)  "RNA Backbone: Consensus All-angle Conformers and Modular String Nomenclature (an RNA Ontology Consortium contribution)" RNA 14 :465-481. doi: 10.1261/rna.657708 (open access)


(868KB)
2008Wang
 

X. Wang, G. Kapral, L. Murray, D. Richardson, J. Richardson & J. Snoeyink (2008) "RNABC: forward kinematics to reduce all-atom steric clashes in RNA backbone" Journal Mathematical Biology 56:253-278. doi: 10.1007/s00285-007-0082


(2.2MB)
2007Davis
 

Ian W. Davis, Andrew Leaver-Fay, Vincent B. Chen, Jeremy N. Block, Gary J. Kapral, Xueyi Wang, Laura W. Murray, W. Bryan Arendall III, Jack Snoeyink, Jane S. Richardson and David C. Richardson (2007) "MolProbity: all-atom contacts and structure validation for proteins and nucleic acids" Nucleic Acids Research 35 Web Server issue, W375-W383. doi:10.1093/nar/gkm216 (open access)


(17.1MB)
2007Murray
 

Laura Weston Murray (2007) "RNA Backbone Rotamers and Chiropraxis" Doctoral Dissertation; Dept. of Biochemistry; Duke University, 169 pages.


(17.6MB)
2006Davis
 

Ian W. Davis (2006) "Local Motion and Local Accuracy In Protein Backbone" Doctoral Dissertation; Dept. of Biochemistry; Duke University, 333 pages.


(464KB)
2006Davis
SuppData &
hi-res img

I.W. Davis, W.B. Arendall III, D.C. Richardson, and J.S. Richardson (2006) "The backrub motion: How protein backbone shrugs when a sidechain dances" Structure 14, 265-274. doi:10.1016/j.str.2005.10.007 (Supplementary data available also.)


(596KB)
2006ROC
 

Neocles B. Leontis, Russ Altman, Helen M. Berman, Steven E. Brenner, James Brown, David Engelke, Stephen C. Harvey, Stephen R. Holbrook, Fabrice Jossinet, Suzanna E. Lewis, François Major, David H. Mathews, Jane S. Richardson, James R. Williamson and Eric Westhof (2006) "The RNA Ontology Consortium: An Open Invitation to the RNA Community" RNA 12, 533-541. doi:10.1261/rna.2343206 (open access)


(300KB)
2005Murray
Abstract

L.W. Murray, J.S. Richardson, W.B. Arendall III, and D.C. Richardson (2005) "RNA Backbone Rotamers - Finding your way in 7 dimensions. " Biochemical Society Transactions (UK)33, 485-487. PMID: 15916548


(368KB)
2005Arendall
Abstract

W.B. Arendall III, W. Tempel, J.S. Richardson, W. Zhou, S. Wang, I.W. Davis, Z.-J. Liu, J.P. Rose, W.M. Carson, M. Luo, D.C. Richardson, and B-C. Wang (2005) "A test of enhancing model accuracy in high-throughput crystallography." Journal of Structural and Functional Genomics 6, 1-11. doi:10.1007/s10969-005-3138-4

  Abstract

G. Butterfoss, J.S. Richardson, and J. Hermans (2005) "Protein imperfections: separating intrinsic from extrinsic variation of torsion angles." Acta Crystallographica D: Biological Crystallography D61, 88-98. doi:10.1107/S0907444904027325


(668KB)
2004Davis
Abstract

I.W. Davis, L.W. Murray, J.S. Richardson, and D.C. Richardson (2004) "MolProbity: structure validation and all-atom contact analysis for nucleic acids and their complexes. " . Nucleic Acids Research 32(Web Server Issue), W615-619. doi:10.1093/nar/gkh398 (open access)


(868KB)
2004Videau
Abstract

L.L. Videau, W.B. Arendall III, and J.S. Richardson (2004) "The Cis Pro Touch-Turn: A Rare Motif Preferred at Functional Sites" Proteins: Structure, Function and Bioinformatics 56, 298-309. doi:10.1002/prot.20101

  Abstract

W. Tempel, Z.-J.J. Liu, F.D. Schubot, A. Shah, M.V. Weinberg, F.E. Jenney Jr., W.B. Arendall III, M.W.W. Adams, J.S. Richardson, D.C. Richardson, J.P. Rose and B.C. Wang (2004) "Structural Genomics of Pyrococcus furiosus: X-Ray Crystallography Reveals 3D Domain Swapping in Rubrerythrin." Proteins: Structure, Function and Bioinformatics 57, 878-882. doi:10.1002/prot.20280

  Abstract

T.E. Wales, J.S. Richardson, and M.C. Fitzgerald (2004) "Facile Chemical Synthesis and Equilibrium Properties of CopG" Protein Science 13, 1918-1926. doi: 10.1110/ps.04671804


(480KB)
2004Kapp
Abstract

G.T. Kapp, J.S. Richardson, and T.G. Oas (2004) "Kinetic Role of Helix Caps in Protein Folding is Context-Dependent" Biochemistry 43, 3814-3823. doi:10.1021/bi035683k


(620KB)
2003Murray
Abstract

L.J. Murray, W.B. Arendall III, D.C. Richardson, and J.S. Richardson (2003) "RNA Backbone Is Rotameric" PNAS-USA 100, 13904-13909. doi:10.1073/pnas.1835769100


(790KB)
2003Lovell
Abstract

S.C. Lovell, I.W. Davis, W.B. Arendall III, P.I.W. de Bakker, J.M. Word, M.G. Prisant, J.S. Richardson, and D.C. Richardson (2003) "Structure Validation by Cα Geometry: φ,ψ and Cβ Deviation." Proteins: Structure, Function and Genetics 50, 437-450. doi:10.1002/prot.10286


(780KB)
2003Methods
Abstract

J. S. Richardson, W.B. Arendall III, and D. C. Richardson (2003) "New Tools and Data for Improving Structures, Using All-Atom Contacts. " Chapter in Methods in Enzymology: Macromolecular Crystallography, Part D, ed. C.W. Carter, Jr and R.M. Sweet. Academic Press (San Diego)374, 385-412.

   

J.S. Richardson and D. C. Richardson (2003) "High-Grade Ore for Data Mining in 3D Structures." in Computational Biology and Genome Informatics, eds. J.T.L. Wang, C.H. Wu, and P.P. Wang. World Scientific Publishing Company (London) pp 139-161.


(840KB)
2002Richardson
Abstract

J. S. Richardson and D. C. Richardson (2002) "Natural β-Sheet Proteins Use Negative Design to Avoid Edge-to-Edge Aggregation." PNAS-USA 99, 2754-2759. doi:10.1073/pnas.052706099


(2.2MB)
2002BaMBEd
 

D. C. Richardson and J. S. Richardson (2002) "Teaching Molecular 3-D Literacy." Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education 30, 21-26. doi:10.1002/bmb.2002.494030010005

   

D. C. Richardson and J. S. Richardson (2001) "MAGE, PROBE, and Kinemages." In International Tables for Crystallography, ed. M.G. Rossmann and E. Arnold vol. F, chapter 25.2.8.,, 727-730 Kluwer Publishers (Dordrecht).


(8.5MB)
2000Word
 

J. Michael Word (2000) "All-Atom Small-Probe Contact Surface Analysis: An information-rich description of molecular goodness-of-fit" Doctoral Dissertation; Dept. of Biochemistry; Duke University, 273 pages.


(188KB)
2000Word
Abstract

J. M. Word, R. C. Bateman Jr., B. K. Presley, S. C. Lovell, and D. C. Richardson (2000) "Exploring steric constraints on protein mutations using MAGE/PROBE." Protein Sci 9, 2251-2259.


(296KB)
2000Lovell
Abstract

S. C. Lovell, J. M. Word, J. S. Richardson, and D. C. Richardson (2000) "The Penultimate Rotamer Library." Proteins: Struct Function and Genetics 40, 389-408. doi: 10.1002/1097-0134(20000815)40:3<389::AID-PROT50>3.0.CO;2-2


(1.4MB)
1999WordA
Abstract

J. M. Word, S. C. Lovell, T. H. LaBean, H. C. Taylor, M. E. Zalis, B. K. Presley, J. S. Richardson, and D. C. Richardson (1999) "Visualizing and Quantifying Molecular Goodness-of-Fit: Small-probe Contact Dots with Explicit Hydrogen Atoms." JMB 285, 1711-33. doi:10.1006/jmbi.1998.2400


(804KB)
1999WordB
Abstract

J. M. Word, S. C. Lovell, J. S. Richardson, and D. C. Richardson (1999) "Asparagine and Glutamine: Using Hydrogen Atom Contacts in the Choice of Side-chain Amide Orientation." JMB 285, 1735-47. doi:10.1006/jmbi.1998.2401

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link to anatax docs

J.S. Richardson (1981 & 2004-2006) "The Anatomy and Taxonomy of Protein Structure" (and updates) In Advances in Protein Chemistry, ed. C.B. Anfinsen, John T. Edsall, Frederic M. Richards. (updates & original on our website) 34, 167-339 Academic Press.

For more details, see our kinemage web site at http://kinemage.biochem.duke.edu/, where all our software is available free and open-source, as well as datasets and examples. There is a service called MolProbity where you can run our structure validation tools on an uploaded file of your own or one chosen from the PDB or NDB, and display the results directly on-line in KiNG.

Lab Members (from "about us/contacts" in the kinemage web site)

Current Lab Members
Past Lab Members

Name Position Cast of
Characters
e-mail Telephone
David Richardson Professor dcr AT kinemage.biochem.duke.edu 919-684-6010
Jane Richardson Professor jsr AT kinemage.biochem.duke.edu 919-684-6010
Bryan Arendall Senior Research Associate arendall AT duke.edu 919-681-8827
Jeremy Block Research Associate jeremy.block AT duke.edu 919-684-6118
Vincent Chen Research Associate vincent.chen AT duke.edu 919-681-8826
Lindsay Deis Grad Student lindsay.deis AT duke.edu 919-684-6010
Bradley Hintze Grad Student bradley.hintze AT duke.edu 919-684-2217
Swati Jain Grad Student (CBB) swati.jain AT duke.edu 919-684-2217
Gary Kapral Grad Student gary.kapral AT duke.edu 919-681-8826
Daniel Keedy Grad Student daniel.keedy AT duke.edu 919-681-8826
Michael Prisant Senior Research Scientist michael.prisant AT gmail.com
Lizbeth Videau Staff Assistant videau AT biochem.duke.edu 919-684-6010
Christopher Williams Grad Student christopher.j.williams AT duke.edu 919-684-6010

Past Lab Members

Name Currently Looked
Like
e-mail
Ian Davis Grass Roots Biotechnology ian.w.davis AT gmail.com
Jeff Headd PHENIX | Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory jeffrey.headd AT duke.edu
Bob Immormino Research Associate
UNC-Chapel Hill
immormino AT gmail.com
Thom LaBean Associate Research Professor
Computer Science, Duke Univ
thl AT cs.duke.edu
Simon Lovell Faculty of Life Sciences
Univ of Manchester, UK
simon.lovell AT man.ac.uk
Laura Murray Research Associate | Pyle Laboratory (Yale) laura.weston AT duke.edu
Xueyi Wang Assistant Professor
NW Nazarene U, Nampa,ID
xwang AT nnu dot edu
Michael Word Open Eye Software
Santa Fe, NM
word27605 AT gmail.com