According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, about 18 million people have an alcohol abuse disorder. Alcohol binds to the N‐Methyl‐D‐aspartate Receptor (NMDA) receptor, inhibiting cognition, short‐term memory formation, motor coordination, and overall regular CNS function. The Brookfield Academy SMART (Students Modeling A Research Topic) Team used 3D printing technology to model the alcohol binding site on the NMDA receptor. This receptor is an ion channel in CNS neurons. Binding of the neurotransmitter, glutamate, allows the passage of calcium and sodium ions through the channel, thus controlling multiple intracellular signaling pathways. Alcohol inhibits the gating of the receptor, preventing the flow of ions, leading to the symptoms of intoxication. The NMDA receptor is a heterotetramer, containing two GluN1 and two GluN2A subunits. Alcohol binds to the transmembrane domain of the receptor, interacting with the amino acids Gly638, Phe639, Phe639, Leu819, and Met818 (of subunit GluN1) and Met 823, Phe636, Leu824 and Phe637 (on GluN2A). Site‐directed mutagenesis studies have identified the importance of these residues. Mutations in the same position on different subunits can drastically modulate the inhibition of the receptor by alcohol. Further understanding of the NMDA receptor mechanisms could lead to treatment for long‐term alcohol abuse. Grant Funding Source: The SMART team program is supported by a grant from NIH‐CTSA.

Ribosomes are responsible for protein synthesis and are a major target of antibiotics. While translation is a universally conserved cellular process, the ability of drugs to target prokaryotic ribosomes depends on subtle variations from eukaryotic ribosomes. The ribosome is composed of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and protein. The small ribosomal subunit, called 30s in prokaryotes, contains 21 proteins and one rRNA (16S) and the large subunit, called 50S, contains 31 proteins and two rRNAs (23S and 5S). Recent crystal structures reveal that the rRNAs adopt a 3D fold generating (I) decoding center for codon‐anticodon recognition, (II) a peptidyl‐transfer center (PTC) for a peptide bond formation and (III) an exit tunnel through which the nascent protein emerges. Paromomycin, used in the treatment of intestinal infections, inhibits prokaryotic ribosomes at the decoding site. Paromomycin physically restructures helix H44 of the 16S rRNA, preventing proper rotation of A1492 and A1493 during anticodon:codon recognition, decreasing tRNA selection accuracy in prokaryotic ribosomes. However, paromomycin fails to affect eukaryotes due to an A to G transition at position 1408. The Brookfield Academy SMART Team (Students Modeling A Research Topic) modeled a prokaryotic ribosome, highlighting nucleotides responsible for the prokaryotic specificity of paromomycin. (Supported by a grant from the NIH‐CTSA UL1RR031973)