Rapid model-building with trace_and_build

Author(s)

Purpose

The routine trace_and_build is a tool for rapid protein model-building.

Usage

How trace_and_build works:

The trace_and_build tool traces the path of a polypeptide chain by working from high to low density and following the highest density path that does not yield branching. It then finds CB positions and builds an atomic model.

Using trace_and_build:

Normally you will access the functionality of trace_and_build by running the Phenix map_to_model tool in the Phenix GUI. However you can run it directly as well (there is no GUI for trace_and_build). Usuall you will run trace_and_build on the unique part of a cryo-EM map. Your main options are the resolution, whether to try a quick run (quick=True) or a more thorough run (quick=False), and how many segments to try and build.

Input map file: Usually you should supply trace_and_build with a sharpened map that represents the unique part of your structure. You can use phenix.map_sharpening to sharpen your map. If your map has symmetry you can use phenix.map_box with extract_unique=true to extract this part of the map.

Resolution: Specify the resolution of your map (usually the resolution defined by your half-dataset Fourier shell correlation

Sequence file: Supply a sequence file with the sequence or sequences of the molecule(s) to be built. If more than one they will simply be put together at this point.

Segments to build: you can choose to build just one or a few of the longest segments that trace_and_build can find (max_segments=3), or everything (max_segments=None)

Quick run: You can try to run quickly (quick=true) or more thoroughly (quick=False). One difference is that with quick=True, the number of segments to build is normally limited to the number of residues in your sequence file divided by 50, while with quick=False, it is unlimited. The other is that with quick=False, after building the model an attempt to fix insertions and deletions will be made (fix_insertions_deletions=True). You can set these parameters separately as well.

Input model: You can supply an input fixed model and trace_and_build will use it as a potential interpretation of the tracing of part of the map. It will not be used as is, rather CA positions will be extracted and used in later interpretation steps. This fixed model will take the place of the find_helices_strands step that is otherwise carried out.

Procedure used by trace_and_build

The procedure used by trace_and_build has several steps:

If no model is supplied, an initial fixed model is created by searching for regular secondary structure in the map. Then the tool find_helices_strands is used to analyze the new map to find regular secondary structure. Optionally both directions of each segment of the fixed model can be kept (allow_reverse=True).

The core of trace_and_build is to find, extend, and connect segments of high density in the map. The way this is done is a lot like the way a person would examine the path of a chain in a map, starting from a region of clear (high) density, following the chain until it ends, then lowering the contour level until a path is visible and following that one.

Initial segments of density are identified using the model that is supplied or found with find_helices_strands. New segments are identified from extended regions of high density, working down from high to low density in the map. Connections and extensions are also made working down from high to low density. Chain tracings are only kept if they do not have branching.

Once the path(s) of the polypeptide chain are identified, likely positions of CB atoms are identified from the presence of side-chain density along the traced path. The positions of CA atoms are then guessed and refined with the tool phenix.refine_ca_model which adjusts the number of CA atoms and their positions to match the likely CB positions, the chain tracing, and expected CA-CA distances.

Once a CA-only model is created, an attempt to correct the model using CA positions in the fixed model (input directly or from find_helices_strands). In this step the CA positions in segments in the fixed model are matched with those of the CA-only model, and if they overlap, the CA positions from the fixed model are used.

An all-atom model is generated from each CA-only model using Pulchra . If allow_reverse is set, then each possible direction of each segment is considered. Each of these possibilities is refined and scored based on map-model correlation (CC), agreement of side-chain density with the sequence, and H-bonding in the model.

The highest-scoring model is written out so that it superimposes on the input map.

Examples

Standard run of trace_and_build:

You can use trace_and_build to build a model based on a cryo-EM map:

phenix.trace_and_build my_map.mrc resolution=2.8 my_seq.dat

Using trace_and_build to evaluate forward and reverse versions of a model:

You can use trace_and_build to work on one or more segments, checking both directions:

phenix.trace_and_build my_map.mrc resolution=2.8 my_seq.dat my_fragment.pdb \
find_chains=False extend_chains=False connect_chains=False allow_reverse=True

This will read in your fragment(s), create forward and reverse versions, score them both, and try to build the better one (but without extending it or building any new model). You can set verbose=True to see more details of the scoring if you like. If one direction is clearly better than the other, only it will be kept. If you want to keep both, set the parameter convincing_delta_score to a big number or None (take everything).

Possible Problems

Specific limitations and problems:

Literature

Additional information

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