[Chimera-users] display ribbon for CA atoms

Elaine Meng meng at cgl.ucsf.edu
Tue Oct 21 09:08:01 PDT 2014


Hi Bala,
Two reasons, both related to PDB file format:

<http://www.rbvi.ucsf.edu/chimera/docs/UsersGuide/tutorials/framepdbintro.html>

(1) Column spacing:  spaces are important in PDB format, but there is a missing space before "A" on the line for atom 25, and one too many spaces before the "A" on the lines for atoms 23,29,30,31,33,34.  It is hard to see this if you are viewing with a varying-width font, but clear if you view in constant-width font.  Viewing/editing PDB files should be done using constant-width font.

(2) Nonstandard residue names:  the ones with three-letter residue names not normally used for regular amino acids are not automatically connected.  If I replace "ATOM  " (two spaces after the word) with "HETATM" on those lines, it fixes the problem.

You could try applying these fixes yourself, but since I did them already, I attached the result below.   Chimera only shows the thin "licorice" ribbon because this is a CA-only structure.  I hope this helps,
Elaine
----------
Elaine C. Meng, Ph.D. 
UCSF Computer Graphics Lab (Chimera team) and Babbitt Lab
Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry
University of California, San Francisco

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Attached above, pasted below, but again should really be viewed with constant-width font:

MODEL       1
ATOM    240  CA  VAL A  15      -4.028 -10.131 -14.981  1.00  0.00
HETATM  256  CA  ASA A  16      -1.059  -7.963 -15.984  1.00  0.00
ATOM    268  CA  LEU A  17      -1.498  -5.735 -12.905  1.00  0.00
ATOM    287  CA  ALA A  18      -1.837  -8.694 -10.513  1.00  0.00
ATOM    297  CA  VAL A  19       1.521 -10.149 -11.590  1.00  0.00
ATOM    313  CA  ALA A  20       3.129  -6.662 -11.574  1.00  0.00
ATOM    323  CA  VAL A  21       1.979  -5.898  -8.009  1.00  0.00
ATOM    339  CA  VAL A  22       3.318  -9.266  -6.779  1.00  0.00
ATOM    355  CA  ILE A  23       6.792  -8.806  -8.282  1.00  0.00
ATOM    374  CA  GLY A  24       6.953  -5.077  -7.492  1.00  0.00
ATOM    381  CA  THR A  25       5.978  -5.469  -3.854  1.00  0.00
ATOM    395  CA  ALA A  26       8.113  -8.578  -3.252  1.00  0.00
HETATM  405  CA  AHE A  27      11.502  -6.829  -3.607  1.00  0.00
ATOM    425  CA  THR A  28      10.411  -3.957  -1.319  1.00  0.00
ATOM    439  CA  ALA A  29       8.727  -6.289   1.217  1.00  0.00
ATOM    449  CA  LEU A  30      11.626  -8.763   1.549  1.00  0.00
ATOM    468  CA  VAL A  31      14.332  -6.060   1.884  1.00  0.00
ATOM    484  CA  THR A  32      12.244  -3.984   4.372  1.00  0.00
ATOM    498  CA  LYS A  33      11.589  -7.104   6.477  1.00  0.00
HETATM  520  CA  AHE A  34      15.337  -7.950   6.374  1.00  0.00
ATOM    540  CA  THR A  35      16.415  -4.418   7.456  1.00  0.00
HETATM  554  CA  ASA A  36      13.895  -4.173  10.321  1.00  0.00
ATOM    566  CA  SER A  37      14.420  -7.770  11.568  1.00  0.00
ATOM    577  CA  ILE A  38      18.204  -8.185  11.182  1.00  0.00
ATOM    596  CA  ILE A  39      20.091  -4.967  10.349  1.00  0.00
ATOM    615  CA  THR A  40      18.515  -2.454  12.798  1.00  0.00
END


On Oct 21, 2014, at 2:27 AM, Bala subramanian <bala.biophysics at gmail.com> wrote:

> Friends,
> I am trying to visualize a helical structure containing only the CA atoms. Chimera doesnt display ribbon for some of atoms, a reason which i dnt understand. 
> 
> I have tried to visualize in several versions 1.10, 1.9, 1.7 etc. I am pasting the coordinates below of my pdb. You insights would be of great help to resolve the problem.
> 
> MODEL       1
> ATOM    240  CA  VAL A  15      -4.028 -10.131 -14.981  1.00  0.00
> ATOM    256  CA  ASA A  16      -1.059  -7.963 -15.984  1.00  0.00
> ATOM    268  CA  LEU A  17      -1.498  -5.735 -12.905  1.00  0.00
> ATOM    287  CA  ALA A  18      -1.837  -8.694 -10.513  1.00  0.00
> ATOM    297  CA  VAL A  19       1.521 -10.149 -11.590  1.00  0.00
> ATOM    313  CA  ALA A  20       3.129  -6.662 -11.574  1.00  0.00
> ATOM    323  CA  VAL A  21       1.979  -5.898  -8.009  1.00  0.00
> ATOM    339  CA  VAL A  22       3.318  -9.266  -6.779  1.00  0.00
> ATOM    355  CA  ILE  A  23       6.792  -8.806  -8.282  1.00  0.00
> ATOM    374  CA  GLY A  24       6.953  -5.077  -7.492  1.00  0.00
> ATOM    381  CA  THRA  25       5.978  -5.469  -3.854  1.00  0.00
> ATOM    395  CA  ALA A  26       8.113  -8.578  -3.252  1.00  0.00
> ATOM    405  CA  AHE A  27      11.502  -6.829  -3.607  1.00  0.00
> ATOM    425  CA  THR A  28      10.411  -3.957  -1.319  1.00  0.00
> ATOM    439  CA  ALA  A  29       8.727  -6.289   1.217  1.00  0.00
> ATOM    449  CA  LEU  A  30      11.626  -8.763   1.549  1.00  0.00
> ATOM    468  CA  VAL  A  31      14.332  -6.060   1.884  1.00  0.00
> ATOM    484  CA  THR A  32      12.244  -3.984   4.372  1.00  0.00
> ATOM    498  CA  LYS  A  33      11.589  -7.104   6.477  1.00  0.00
> ATOM    520  CA  AHE  A  34      15.337  -7.950   6.374  1.00  0.00
> ATOM    540  CA  THR A  35      16.415  -4.418   7.456  1.00  0.00
> ATOM    554  CA  ASA A  36      13.895  -4.173  10.321  1.00  0.00
> ATOM    566  CA  SER A  37      14.420  -7.770  11.568  1.00  0.00
> ATOM    577  CA  ILE A  38      18.204  -8.185  11.182  1.00  0.00
> ATOM    596  CA  ILE A  39      20.091  -4.967  10.349  1.00  0.00
> ATOM    615  CA  THR A  40      18.515  -2.454  12.798  1.00  0.00
> END
> 



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