Virtual Reality

ChimeraX virtual reality works with HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, and Samsung Odyssey systems (those supported by SteamVR). Any structures, maps, etc. that can be displayed in ChimeraX can be viewed in the headset and manipulated with the hand controllers. Icon toolbars visible in the headset allow changing the scene display or hand-controller button assignments with a single click. Besides rotation, translation, and zooming, useful functions include labeling, distance measurement, bond rotation, placing markers into a map, and changing map contour levels. Virtual-reality (VR) mode can be turned on and off with the vr command, and the meeting command allows multiple users to share a single session in VR.

Potassium Channel-Calmodulin Complex

KCNQ1 is the pore-forming subunit of a cardiac potassium channel. It binds to calmodulin, and mutations in either of these proteins can cause congenital long QT syndrome, a dangerous propensity for irregular heartbeats. In the image, a structure of the KCNQ1/calmodulin complex (PDB 5vms) has been assembled into the native tetrameric form with the sym command. The view is from the cytoplasmic side, with KCNQ1 shown as surfaces, calmodulin as cartoons, and calcium ions as balls. A pastel palette from ColorBrewer has been used to color the surfaces, darkened with color modify for the cartoons, and “rotated” 45° in hue for the ions. See the command file colormod.cxc.

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