April 2024 - phenixbb - phenix-online.org

Research Specialist Position at the University of Illinois to Study Ribosome Structure | POLIKANOV Lab
by Yury Polikanov 22 Apr '25

22 Apr '25

*Research Specialist Position Available, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago - Polikanov Lab* *The Polikanov Laboratory in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago (IL, USA) is looking for a talented, skillful, and highly motivated researcher to fill the Research Specialist position to study the structure and function of the bacterial ribosome.* For fullest consideration, please submit an application and cover letter describing your scientific interests and how your previous research accomplishments and scientific interests fit with the scope of the research in the Polikanov research group at https://uic.csod.com/ux/ats/careersite/1/home/requisition/7573?c=uic *Position Summary:* The research in the Polikanov Laboratory at UIC is focused on understanding the basic principles of protein synthesis in bacteria, the modes of action of ribosome-targeting antibiotics, and the mechanisms of drug resistance at a structural level. This position is involved in the determination of high-resolution structures of ribosome functional complexes with various protein translation factors, tRNAs, and antibiotics using macromolecular X-ray crystallography and potentially cryo-EM techniques. Expected contributes to the design and delivery of research projects and collaborates with researchers to develop, execute, and interpret research projects. Performs complex laboratory and data collection techniques. *Duties & Responsibilities:* - Perform research relevant to the assigned projects; - Isolate, purify, and crystallize bacterial ribosomes; - Purify all additional components necessary for the crystallization experiments, such as recombinant proteins, tRNAs; - Collect X-ray diffraction data from the ribosome crystals at the APS and NSLS-II Synchrotrons; - Perform structural data analysis; - Coordinate, analyze, and document results for publication; - Directly participate in writing papers and grants based on the experimental data; - Train undergraduate and graduate students in research methods, use of equipment, record keeping, and laboratory database entry; - Attend weekly group meetings and journal club seminars. - Perform other related duties and participate in special projects as assigned. *Minimum Qualifications:* - A bachelor’s degree in chemistry, biochemistry, biophysics, or a related field is required. - A master’s degree in chemistry, biochemistry, biophysics, or a related field is preferred. - A minimum of 3 years related research experience. - Possesses and applies comprehensive knowledge of research principles, concepts, practices, and methods. - Proficient in standard molecular biology and biochemistry lab techniques, such as protein expression, and purification *Preferred Qualifications:* - Experience in structural biology (cryo-EM or X-ray crystallography); - Experience in RNA biology, ribosome, and/or protein synthesis fields. *About the University of Illinois Chicago:* UIC is among the nation’s preeminent urban public research universities, a Carnegie RU/VH research institution, and the largest university in Chicago. UIC serves over 34,000 students, comprising one of the most diverse student bodies in the nation and is designated as a Minority Serving Institution (MSI), an Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPSI) and a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI). Through its 16 colleges, UIC produces nationally and internationally recognized multidisciplinary academic programs in concert with civic, corporate and community partners worldwide, including a full complement of health sciences colleges. By emphasizing cutting-edge and transformational research along with a commitment to the success of all students, UIC embodies the dynamic, vibrant and engaged urban university. Recent “Best Colleges” rankings published by U.S. News & World Report, found UIC climbed up in its rankings among top public schools in the nation and among all national universities. UIC has nearly 260,000 alumni, and is one of the largest employers in the city of Chicago. *The University of Illinois System is an equal opportunity employer, including but not limited to disability and/or veteran status, and complies with all applicable state and federal employment mandates. Please visit Required Employment Notices and Posters <https://www.hr.uillinois.edu/cms/one.aspx?portalId=4292&pageId=5705> to view our non-discrimination statement and find additional information about required background checks, sexual harassment/misconduct disclosures, COVID-19 vaccination requirement, and employment eligibility review through E-Verify. **The university provides accommodations to applicants and employees. Request an Accommodation <https://jobs.uic.edu/request-and-accomodation/>*

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RapiData at SSRL 2024
by Smith, Clyde 10 Jan '25

10 Jan '25

Hi everyone, Applications are now open for the 2024 edition of RapiData at SSRL. RapiData is a practical course in macromolecular X-ray diffraction data collection, data processing and structure solution. The aim of the RapiData course is to educate and train young scientists in data collection and processing methods at synchrotron beamlines, using state-of-the-art software and instrumentation. The course will be held at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) located on the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory campus in Menlo Park, CA, from April 29 to May 4, 2024. The course will comprise hands-on experiments at the SSRL beamlines, software tutorials, and lectures on the following topics: Specimen preparation, Data collection strategies, X-ray light sources, X-ray detectors, Data reduction, Structure solution by MAD, SAD and Molecular Replacement, Complementary methods (spectroscopy and small angle scattering) Please visit http://smb.slac.stanford.edu/news/rapidata/rapidata-2024/ and use the links on the "Application and Registration" page to apply for the course. The application deadline is January 31, 2024. Successful applicants will be notified early in February 2024 and invited to register and book accommodation at SLAC Stanford Guesthouse at that time. A limited amount of support funding may be available. Please direct questions to Silvia Russi (srussi(a)slac.stanford.edu) or Clyde Smith (csmith(a)slac.stanford.edu).

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Re: [phenixbb] red blobs (Andrea Smith)
by Kay Diederichs 01 Nov '24

01 Nov '24

Hi Andrea, in your case, phenix.refine seems to fill bulk solvent into volumes that are not actually filled by solvent. It might help to optimize the mask, see https://phenix-online.org/documentation/reference/refinement.html#bulk-solv… "6. Mask parameters". Best, Kay -- Kay Diederichs http://strucbio.biologie.uni-konstanz.de email: Kay.Diederichs(a)uni-konstanz.de Tel +49 7531 88 4049 Fachbereich Biologie, Universität Konstanz, Box M647, D-78457 Konstanz This e-mail is digitally signed. If your e-mail client does not have the necessary capabilities, just ignore the attached signature "smime.p7s".

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Ordered solvent in phenix.refine
by Oliver H. Weiergräber 11 Sep '24

11 Sep '24

Hello, after switching from version 1.20 to 1.21, I noticed that the updated list of waters generated by the ordered_solvent option in phenix.refine is no longer numbered sequentially; it seems a final re-numbering step is now skipped. Is this intentional? Of course it can be advantageous to keep waters from changing their numbers, e.g. if they are part of occupancy groups. On a related note, is there a mechanism to protect certain "important" waters from being deleted while all the rest is updated as usual? One obvious option would be a dedicated chain ID, but afaik phenix.refine accepts a chain ID for output but not for input waters ... Best regards, Oliver ================================================== Prof. Oliver H. Weiergräber Institute of Biological Information Processing IBI-7: Structural Biochemistry Forschungszentrum Jülich 52425 Jülich, Germany Tel.: +49 2461 61-2028 Fax: +49 2461 61-9540 ==================================================

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Hardware migration
by Billy Poon 19 Jun '24

19 Jun '24

Hi everyone, We are in the process of migrating these bulletin boards to new hardware over the next few weeks. I will make another post once the migration is completed. Nothing will be changed until then. Thanks! -- Billy K. Poon Research Scientist, Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory 1 Cyclotron Road, M/S 33R0345 Berkeley, CA 94720 Fax: (510) 486-5909 Web: https://phenix-online.org

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ccp4 thread: "what happened to Molprobity"
by Pavel Afonine 02 May '24

02 May '24

Hi All, I hope someone from Molprobity end reads CCP4 mailing list where people report issues with Molprobity (server and from within Phenix). Just in case this needs someone's attention. Pavel

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on the criteria for outliers, phenix.molprobity and wwPDB validation
by Jorge Iulek 30 Apr '24

30 Apr '24

Hi all, I had already noticed that outliers spotted by phenix with its validation tool, with the nice feature to carry one straight to the "suspicious" residue in a coot session for visual inspection, differs a bit from what comes spotted from wwPDB validation, generally the latter spotting some few more residues. To one current structure, which at low resolution, I notice there is a bit larger difference between the number of spotted residues. I see from wwPDB validation, molprobity is also used to spot outliers for many of the analyses. I see the current molprobity version used is 4.02b-467, but I could not yet devise the molprobity version used by phenix. Of course, there would also be the "library" used in each case to spot the outliers. Maybe someone ever listed what is considered in each case, and their differences, or a link to that is welcome for me. What would be the best criteria for spotting is of course a good discussion. But a superficial question I would make is if there is a way to make phenix.molprobity output to resemble the one from wwPDB validation, at least the ones accounted by molprobity? Jorge

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Phenix resolve_cryo_em with local resolution
by Reza Khayat 29 Apr '24

29 Apr '24

Hi, Is it possible to run resolve_cryo_em and have it consider the local resolution of the two half maps in the final map? I have a 3.7Angstrom map were certain domains, too small for local refinement with single particle analysis, are smeared out in the resolve_cryo_em map. Their densities are stronger when I low pass filter the original maps. The adjust_local_resolution_coloring = True option seems to be what I need; however, including this option in the command line results in: Please run this program with the --show-defaults option to see what parameters are available. PHIL parameters in files should be fully specified (e.g. "output.overwrite" instead of just "overwrite") The command line I use is: phenix.resolve_cryo_em map_file_name=Class001_full_box_40.ccp4 half_map_file_name_1=Class001_half1_box_40.ccp4 half_map_file_name_2=Class001_half2_box_40.ccp4 resolution=4.0 dm_resolution=3.5 cycles=1 box_before_analysis=False density_modify_unsharpened_maps=True nproc=16 force_nproc=True model_1=Class001.pdb seq_file=Class001.fasta ncs_copies=1 output_directory="Class001_local" adjust_local_resolution_coloring=True > Class001_local.log Any help would be appreciated. Thanks. Best wishes, Reza Reza Khayat, PhD City College of New York Associate Professor Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Co-Director NIH G-RISE program

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chain name lentgh
by Roberto Marabini 19 Apr '24

19 Apr '24

Hi, We are using phenix version 1.20.1-4487. The protein complex we are processing has more than 100 chains. For this complex we would like to use chain names longer than 2 characters but I see that phenix output truncates the names to the last two characters. Is there any way to avoid this constraint, that is, can we get output files with longer chain names? thanks for the help Roberto

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change sigma for an already restrained bond
by Jorge Iulek 19 Apr '24

19 Apr '24

Dear all, I would like to change the sigma value for an already restrained bond. I enter for phenix.refine: " bond { action = add delete *change atom_selection_1 = chain D and resid 493 and name CA atom_selection_2 = chain D and resid 493 and name CB symmetry_operation = None distance_ideal = 1.532 sigma = 1.02e-2 slack = None limit = -1.0 top_out = False } " In the log I get: " ... Custom bonds: bond: atom 1: "ATOM 14355 CA ALA D 493 .*. C " atom 2: "ATOM 14358 CB ALA D 493 .*. C " symmetry operation: x,y,z distance_model: 1.511 distance_ideal: 1.532 ideal - model: 0.021 slack: 0.000 delta_slack: 0.021 sigma: 0.0102 Total number of added/changed bonds: 1 ... " But in the .geo file I read: " User supplied restraints: 1 Sorted by residual: bond pdb=" CA ALA D 493 " pdb=" CB ALA D 493 " ideal model delta sigma weight residual 1.532 1.511 0.022 1.28e-02 6.10e+03 2.85e+00 " 1.28e-02 is the default value. On the other hand, sigma changes for angles and dihedrals seem to work as expected (the intended values are echoed to the .geo file). To add up, if a bond is *added*, the value is in the .geo file. I observe this for both 1.20.1-4487 1.21-5207 versions. So, in short, should I be allowed to *change the sigma* for a specific *bond*? How should I do it? Thanks Jorge

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