- phenixbb - phenix-online.org

new XDS package (BUILT=20251103) for academic users
by Kay Diederichs 16 Dec '25

16 Dec '25

Dear XDS users, the latest binaries of the XDS package are available for academic users from the “downloading” link at https://xds.mr.mpg.de/ . As the linked “Release Notes” indicate, a few changes were made to output formats, and the requirement for a dynamic library (libquadmath.so), which is not installed by default in most Linux distributions, was eliminated. If you are already running BUILT=20250714, there is no reason to upgrade. In addition to the routine testing against specific datasets performed by Wolfgang Kabsch and me for new XDS packages, this one was tested against a larger database of datasets put together by Clemens Vonrhein and Gerard Bricogne (Global Phasing), who also devised a range of analysis and display tools. A procedure for comparing this and future XDS packages against earlier ones, using a further expanded database, is being implemented in the “XDS reproducibility project” that was convened by Max Burian (Dectris) and is hosted in the Dectris Cloud. Besides the five people mentioned, Camilla Larsen (Dectris), Gleb Bourenkov (EMBL Hamburg) and Ashwin Chari (Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen) are contributing to this project. We expect this effort will ensure the reliability of the XDS package, improve its usage, and enhance the resulting data quality. Best wishes, Kay

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Phenix real space refine use for Cryo-EM model refinement
by dishajawadekar295＠gmail.com 16 Dec '25

16 Dec '25

Hi, I am using Phenix real space refine to refine my cryo-EM model. My model is looking good (based on molprobity statistics) but I would like to run an additional round of Phenix refinement without allowing the program to move the side chains. From what I see, Phenix moves the side chains by default. What settings can I use to avoid this? Thank you.

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REMINDER – Abstract Submission - 2026 ISMSM || DEADLINE - December 15
by Jose Artur Brito 11 Dec '25

11 Dec '25

Dear Colleagues, This is a reminder that abstract submission for the 7th International Symposium on Microbial Sulfur Metabolism (7th ISMSM), will CLOSE in December 15th. The meeting will take place in Lisbon, Portugal, from 17–20 March, 2026, and will bring together researchers from across the globe to explore the latest advances in microbial sulfur cycling, from molecular mechanisms to ecological, environmental and health perspectives. A number of talks will be selected from the abstracts, so please register and submit your abstract! https://wmsm.itqb.unl.pt/registration/ 👉 For more information visit: https://wmsm.itqb.unl.pt/ Please share this announcement with colleagues and collaborators who may be interested. We look forward to welcoming you in Lisbon next March! The Organising Committee Inês Cardoso Pereira, Filipa Sousa, José Artur Brito, Andreia Pimenta and Américo Duarte ismsm(a)itqb.unl.pt --

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Phenix density modification - EMDB deposition
by Dmitry Semchonok 20 Nov '25

20 Nov '25

Dear Colleagues, I am preparing to deposit a cryo-EM structure to EMDB/PDB and have encountered an important question regarding resolution reporting and half-map deposition after Phenix density modification. My Situation: 1. I performed 3D refinement in CryoSPARC, generating two independent half-maps 2. I calculated FSC between these original half-maps at the 0.143 threshold: X Å resolution. 3. I processed these half-maps through Phenix resolve_cryo_em for density modification 4. Phenix reports improved resolution of Y Å (based on corrected FSC as documented in your resolve_cryo_em guide) 5. I generated the corresponding FSC XML file from Phenix showing Y Å Questions: When I deposit to EMDB, I understand the policy requires depositing the original, unmodified half-maps (unfiltered, unmasked, unsharpened). However, when EMDB validates the deposition by independently recalculating FSC from these half-maps, they will obtain X Å, not Y Å. This creates an apparent contradiction: • Deposited FSC XML file: Y Å (from Phenix) • EMDB independent FSC calculation from deposited half-maps: X Å (from originals) * When you apply corrections for correlations introduced by density modification in resolve_cryo_em, does this mean the Y Å resolution should be reported as the official resolution, even though the original half-maps show X Å? * What is the recommended workflow when depositing density-modified maps to ensure consistency and avoid validation conflicts? Additionally: • No atomic model was used; only sequence information • The density modification improved map quality and interpretability as intended Thank you. Kind regards, Dmitry

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path errors phenix 1.21.2-5419 MacOS
by Guenter Fritz 18 Nov '25

18 Nov '25

Dear Phenix developers, I spotted two little errors in the path when phenix_ready_set or phenix.elbow calling files (I fixed it myself by copying the files/folder to the right place) Just for the notes: phenix.ready_set ....... Reduce warnings ERROR CTab(/opt/phenix-1.21.2-5419/lib/python3.9/site-packages/*elbow*/resources/monomer_het_dict.txt): could not open The path should be /opt/phenix-1.21.2-5419/lib/python3.9/site-packages/resources ------------------------------------------ phenix.elbow ....... AssertionError: Missing the file /opt/phenix-1.21.2-5419/lib/python3.9/site-packages/elbow/*elbow*/smiles Path should be /opt/phenix-1.21.2-5419/lib/python3.9/site-packages/elbow/smiles Best regards, Guenter

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RapiData at SSRL 2024
by Smith, Clyde 18 Nov '25

18 Nov '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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Coot 1 - "Open in Coot" within Phenix - auto loading PDB/mtz/extensions
by kelvin.lau＠epfl.ch 07 Nov '25

07 Nov '25

Hi all As the stability of Coot1 increases I am looking to start the transition there from old Coot I can get Phenix to open Coot 1 via the Open in Coot buttons. However, it does not autoload the PDB/mtz/Phenix extensions. I know there are many differences between Coot 0.9X and Coot1 under the hood so just want to see if this was currently possible or if it’s something due to my parameter setups somewhere. Would be very useful to implement if not. Best Kelvin

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phenix 1.22 based on python 3.9 for Mac ARM
by Roberto Battistutta 06 Nov '25

06 Nov '25

Dear All, does an official versione of phenix 1.22 based on python 3.9 for Mac ARM (M2/M3) exist? I can’t find it in the download page. Or will it come out soon? Thank you. Regards, Roberto. Roberto Battistutta Associate Professor Department of Chemical Sciences University of Padua via Marzolo 1, 35131 Padova - ITALY tel. +39.049.827.5262 fax. +39.049.827.5829 roberto.battistutta(a)unipd.it

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CAHRA 2025: Announcing the 2025 Community-wide Assessment of cryo-EM Heterogeneous Reconstruction Algorithms (CAHRA)
by Tom Burnley - STFC UKRI 05 Nov '25

05 Nov '25

Dear all, We are pleased to announce the 2025 Community-Wide Assessment of Cryo-EM Heterogeneous Reconstruction Algorithms (CAHRA). Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has revolutionized structural biology by enabling high-resolution visualization of dynamic biomolecular assemblies. However, a central challenge remains: developing robust computational methods to model different forms of structural heterogeneity—including continuous motions, discrete states, and compositional variations and to accurately estimate population distributions. To encourage the development and benchmarking of heterogeneous reconstruction algorithms and workflows, we invite the cryo-EM community to analyze three new curated experimental and synthetic datasets: 1. Compositional Heterogeneity 2. Conformational Heterogeneity 3. Pose Entanglement Please join us for a webinar where we will introduce this year's challenge: Friday, November 14 12:00 PM Eastern (US, Canada) / 5:00 PM GMT (UK) Registration: ukri.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-G-7jbX_Q26o7Q8DiVCcQg<http://ukri.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-G-7jbX_Q26o7Q8DiVCcQg> For all challenge information, datasets, and submission timeline, please visit: heterogeneity.notion.site/challenge<http://heterogeneity.notion.site/challenge> Submissions close on June 1, 2026. Please share this with others who may be interested. We hope you’ll join us for this year’s challenge! The CAHRA Team from the Flatiron Institute, CCP-EM/STFC, and Princeton University

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.cif file from phenix for AF3 as template
by Georg Mlynek 04 Nov '25

04 Nov '25

Dear Phenix community, I have solved the structure of protein complex consisting of 6 chains. We have the structure with 5 chains now and still see positive electron density and mass spec analysis gave us some possible candidates which we would like to model with AF3. However just using MSA's AF3 is not placing two chains correctly, therefore I want to give the structure templates for the 5 chains. However using the proposed way to create the files *https://github.com/google-deepmind/alphafold3/issues/462 * I get an error: ValueError: INVALID_ARGUMENT: The number of values (1958407) in a loop is not a multiple of the number of the loop's columns (19) However it works if I use 5Y2E.cif from PDB. Comparing the cif files I see a difference. from phenix: loop_ _atom_site.group_PDB _atom_site.id _atom_site.label_atom_id _atom_site.label_alt_id _atom_site.label_comp_id _atom_site.auth_asym_id _atom_site.auth_seq_id _atom_site.pdbx_PDB_ins_code _atom_site.Cartn_x _atom_site.Cartn_y _atom_site.Cartn_z _atom_site.occupancy _atom_site.B_iso_or_equiv _atom_site.type_symbol _atom_site.pdbx_formal_charge _atom_site.label_asym_id _atom_site.label_entity_id _atom_site.label_seq_id _atom_site.pdbx_PDB_model_num from 5Y2E loop_ _atom_site.group_PDB _atom_site.id _atom_site.type_symbol _atom_site.label_atom_id _atom_site.label_alt_id _atom_site.label_comp_id _atom_site.label_asym_id _atom_site.label_entity_id _atom_site.label_seq_id _atom_site.pdbx_PDB_ins_code _atom_site.Cartn_x _atom_site.Cartn_y _atom_site.Cartn_z _atom_site.occupancy _atom_site.B_iso_or_equiv _atom_site.pdbx_formal_charge _atom_site.auth_seq_id _atom_site.auth_comp_id _atom_site.auth_asym_id _atom_site.auth_atom_id _atom_site.pdbx_PDB_model_num After processing 5Y2E loop_ _atom_site.group_PDB _atom_site.id _atom_site.type_symbol _atom_site.label_atom_id _atom_site.label_alt_id _atom_site.label_comp_id _atom_site.label_asym_id _atom_site.label_entity_id _atom_site.label_seq_id _atom_site.pdbx_PDB_ins_code _atom_site.Cartn_x _atom_site.Cartn_y _atom_site.Cartn_z _atom_site.occupancy _atom_site.B_iso_or_equiv _atom_site.auth_seq_id _atom_site.auth_asym_id _atom_site.pdbx_PDB_model_num Did anybody encountered the same problem and has a workaround? Additionally I would like to ask if anybody knows which entries of the cif file header are really needed for AF3 to run? I would like to make a google colab which does the processing, without relying on the structure module from AF3 code (from alphafold3 import structure). There is a Python Package with the same name "alphafold3" on PyPi but this does not have a structure subpackage. Many thanks, br Georg.

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