Protein Kolam: An artistic rendition of molecular structure data

Any detailed discussion of protein function inevitably involves protein structure. In this article, a visual representation intended to allow the artistic interpretation of protein structure data is presented. The authors have simplified the representation of proteins through the use of the traditional South Indian folk art kolam. This artistic representation presents an interesting means for understanding complicated protein folds. The work presented here may also provide a basis for the study of the topology, similarity and assembly of biological macromolecules.