Re: [ccp4bb] Rigid body refinement as last refinement?

2009-02-07 Thread Nicholas M Glykos
 I am annoyed at the fact that Refmac doesn't seem to have much respect 
 for the electron density map 

Other people are much better qualified than me to point this out, but 
maximum likelihood methods have the utmost respect for your _data_ (and 
especially their standard deviations). What you think you see in the map 
is not what your data really 'say'.



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 Dr Nicholas M. Glykos, Department of Molecular 
 Biology and Genetics, Democritus University of Thrace,
   University Campus, 68100 Alexandroupolis, Greece, Fax +302551030613
  Tel ++302551030620 (77620),  http://www.mbg.duth.gr/~glykos/


Re: [ccp4bb] Rigid body refinement as last refinement?

2009-02-06 Thread Andy Millston
Thank you for your responses.

Restrained refinement does a good job at refining most of the structure except 
a small region with poor density. Every time I refine it, it puts this region 
completely out of the map. It doesn't have much effect on overall geometrical 
factors as its a very small part of a relatively large molecule. 
I am annoyed at the fact that Refmac doesn't seem to have much respect for the 
electron density map while refining this region, and all my attempts to keep 
the residues within the map go in vain. The refined residues are still ok 
according to Fo-Fc map, but they're completely out of the 2Fo-Fc map 
boundaries. Also, my model and the refined model both look bad on Ramachandran 
plot. But I think its a unique feature of the molecule, at least thats what the 
density suggests. Also, packing score and quality value plot suggest that there 
is nothing seriously wrong with my model.

As you've suggested I should try altering the restraints and see how it goes.

Thank you.

Andy


  

Re: [ccp4bb] Rigid body refinement as last refinement?

2009-02-06 Thread William G. Scott

Hi Andy:

Just be very careful of special pleading type arguments.  I really  
think this is trying to tell you something, along with the  
Ramachandran plot.  On a more practical level, the PDB will flag it  
when you try to deposit it.  There is something wrong.


It might be worth making a composite-omit map in CNS, and if you have  
experimental phases, go back and look at the original MIR (or  
whatever) map.  Double-check the space group is right.


Do all that before you change any defaults.

It is very good by the way you are asking for feedback at this stage.   
If it turns out there is a problem, it is much better to catch it  
now.  Also, if you do have to do something non-canonical during the  
refinement, the burden is placed on the paper's authors to justify  
why.  So either way this will be time well spent.


Best of luck.

Bill



On Feb 6, 2009, at 8:13 AM, Andy Millston wrote:


Thank you for your responses.

Restrained refinement does a good job at refining most of the  
structure except a small region with poor density. Every time I  
refine it, it puts this region completely out of the map. It doesn't  
have much effect on overall geometrical factors as its a very small  
part of a relatively large molecule.
I am annoyed at the fact that Refmac doesn't seem to have much  
respect for the electron density map while refining this region, and  
all my attempts to keep the residues within the map go in vain. The  
refined residues are still ok according to Fo-Fc map, but they're  
completely out of the 2Fo-Fc map boundaries. Also, my model and the  
refined model both look bad on Ramachandran plot. But I think its a  
unique feature of the molecule, at least thats what the density  
suggests. Also, packing score and quality value plot suggest that  
there is nothing seriously wrong with my model.


As you've suggested I should try altering the restraints and see how  
it goes.


Thank you.

Andy




Re: [ccp4bb] Rigid body refinement as last refinement?

2009-02-06 Thread Clemens Vonrhein
Hi,

On Fri, Feb 06, 2009 at 08:13:29AM -0800, Andy Millston wrote:
 Restrained refinement does a good job at refining most of the
 structure except a small region with poor density. Every time I
 refine it, it puts this region completely out of the map.

Do you mean:

  a) after restrained refinement the 2Fo-Fc map tells me the model
 should be were it was before refinement (and were it stays during
 rigid body refinement)

or

  b) after restrained refinement the 2Fo-Fc map and the model don't
 match up.

If it's a), i.e. 2Fo-Fc map before and after restrained refinement is very
similar but model has been moved away: are you sure there isn't some
very bad contact that pushes your model away? Have you checked e.g in
Coot with all symmetry-equivalents switched on?

If it's b): maybe the initial 2fo-Fc map (after rigid-body refinement)
was heavily biased and showed you an artefact? And the restrained
refinement is actually telling you the truth - your model isn't were
you thought it should be and there is no data/information to put it
there.

 It doesn't
 have much effect on overall geometrical factors as its a very small
 part of a relatively large molecule.
 I am annoyed at the fact that Refmac doesn't seem to have much
 respect for the electron density map while refining this region,

But it does (well: it doesn't look at the density per se - for that
you would need to do real-space refinement): just that something else
(probably one of its geometry terms) it telling REFMAC to do what it
does in the end.

 and all my attempts to keep the residues within the map go in vain.

Remember that the map isn't something fixed (unless you have very good
experimental phases): it's based on the model phases after all.

 The refined residues are still ok according to Fo-Fc map, but
 they're completely out of the 2Fo-Fc map boundaries.

What do you mean with '2Fo-Fc map boundaries'?

 Also, my model and the refined model both look bad on Ramachandran
 plot.

That's ok, we're not refining against Ramchandran plot (or at least we
shouldn't) - so as others have mentioned: this is telling you
something.

 But I think its a unique feature of the molecule, at least thats
 what the density suggests. Also, packing score and quality value
 plot suggest that there is nothing seriously wrong with my model.

A lot of these criteria might not pick up details in small
regions. Furthermore, if you start e.g. from a good initial model
(molecular replacement) then all the purely geometrical quality
indicators will be great, since nothing has changed there after
rigid-body refinement.

 As you've suggested I should try altering the restraints and see how it goes.

Or combine restrained refinement for most of your protein with this
part as a rigid body? I don't know if REFMAC can do that though ...

Or leave that part out for the moment and concentrate on getting
everything else as good as possible: this would give you the best
phases frmo the 'good region' and maybe then the 2Fo-Fc and Fo-Fc map
tell you what's going on in the other part. Sometimes its very
beneficial to remove unclear regions again to not bias your own
expectations of what it should look like.

Cheers

Clemens

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