Setup Guide

Complete installation guide for all software and tools needed for the protein design course

Prerequisites

Python 3.8+
required

Latest Python installation with pip package manager

Check installation:

python --version
Install
Conda/Miniconda
recommended

Package and environment management for scientific computing

Check installation:

conda --version
Install
Git
required

Version control system for code management

Check installation:

git --version
Install
Jupyter Notebook
required

Interactive computing environment for data analysis

Check installation:

jupyter --version
Install

Environment Setup

1
Create Conda Environment

Set up isolated environment for protein design work

conda create -n protein-design python=3.9
conda activate protein-design
2
Install Core Packages

Install essential Python packages for biological computing

pip install biopython numpy pandas matplotlib scipy
pip install jupyter notebook ipykernel
3
Install Specialized Tools

Add molecular dynamics and visualization packages

conda install -c conda-forge mdanalysis
conda install -c conda-forge pymol-open-source
4
Verify Installation

Test that all packages are working correctly

python -c "import Bio; print('BioPython:', Bio.__version__)"
python -c "import MDAnalysis; print('MDAnalysis:', MDAnalysis.__version__)"

Python Packages

BioPython
1.81+

Biological computation library for sequence analysis

Installation:

pip install biopython

Test import:

import Bio; print(Bio.__version__)
Documentation
NumPy
1.21+

Numerical computing with multi-dimensional arrays

Installation:

pip install numpy

Test import:

import numpy as np; print(np.__version__)
Documentation
Pandas
1.3+

Data manipulation and analysis library

Installation:

pip install pandas

Test import:

import pandas as pd; print(pd.__version__)
Documentation
Matplotlib
3.5+

2D plotting library for creating visualizations

Installation:

pip install matplotlib

Test import:

import matplotlib; print(matplotlib.__version__)
Documentation
MDAnalysis
2.0+

Analysis of molecular dynamics trajectories

Installation:

pip install MDAnalysis

Test import:

import MDAnalysis; print(MDAnalysis.__version__)
Documentation

Specialized Software

PyMOL
Molecular Visualization

Molecular visualization system for 3D structure analysis

Installation:

Academic license available, open-source version via conda

conda install -c conda-forge pymol-open-source

Note: Academic users can get free educational license

Official Website
ChimeraX
Molecular Visualization

Next-generation molecular visualization program

Installation:

Free download for academic use

Download from UCSF website

Note: Excellent for cryo-EM and large structure visualization

Official Website
GROMACS
Molecular Dynamics

Molecular dynamics simulation package

Installation:

Compile from source or use package manager

conda install -c conda-forge gromacs

Note: GPU acceleration available for faster simulations

Official Website
VMD
Molecular Dynamics

Visual Molecular Dynamics for trajectory analysis

Installation:

Free registration required for download

Download from UIUC website

Note: Excellent for MD trajectory visualization and analysis

Official Website