Hi Damian, I have used both Coot and Refmac for glycan modelling/refinement in the past, last time was 2 or 3 years ago. They both behaved correctly for me.
To get the correct behaviour, you must have the correct LINK cards in the header. At the time, the Chemical ID BMA did not exist in the PDB. There was only MAN. Presumably, the PDB had originally decided that the saccahride linkage is a bit like the peptide bond, where it can be one sort or another, so you have to specify it explicitly. But convenience, or avoiding confusion, must have been the reason for the recent creation of BMA. If Coot/Refmac do not have it in their library, well you can add it easily into the correct folder on your disk, by editing the MAN-b-D.cif entry and calling it BMA.cif. Garib told me, when I was grappling with this problem, that Refmac works out from the coordinates which form of the saccahride linkage it is and imposes the correct restraints. Admittedly, there must be room for confusion if modelling is not accurate enough. So BMA is better all round. The branching of the glycan tree does have a good template in PDB entry 1LGB, first deposited in 1994. It has been reviewed to include BMA earlier this year. The branching pattern is correct, so care must be taken to enter the correct numbers in the LINK cards if you are to reproduce a similar branching pattern in your glycan. Incidentally, if you search the PDB for chemical id BMA, there are apparently 36 entries. 1LGB was not among them, and I don't know why. I hope this is useful. Good Luck. Pierre Rizkallah ******************************************************** Dr. Pierre Rizkallah, Senior Lecturer in Structural Biology, WHRI, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Heath Park, CF14 4XN email: rizkall...@cf.ac.uk phone + 44 29 2074 2248 >>> Damian Ekiert <dceki...@scripps.edu> 22/12/09 5:46 PM >>> For an "ideal" glycan, you could used a model from a high resolution structure, or something that has been energy minimized, etc. Mostly I find this helps in getting the sugars in about the right place (keeping bond lengths and angles reasonable). I perhaps could stand to fiddle more and maybe I'll look through the updated documentation. Last I tried, the Asn-NAG1 linkage wasn't enforced, with would allow the whole glycan to slide down into the protein, or off into space. I am typically building relatively small glycans (2-5 residues) into ~3A data, so the density itself doesn't keep things in place very well. Regarding BMA vs MAN: When I have tried to used BMA in REFMAC, it doesn't seem to recognize it and requires a library file. But if you use MAN, it adds a MODRES record to the header, enforcing beta-mannose geometry. Not sure if this is just a REFMAC version issue or what. Best, Damian Paul Emsley wrote: > If I can chip into this somewhat sacrilegiously-named thread > > 1) I *would* use real-space refinement :), specifically Sphere > Refinement. You can dial down the > density weight if needed, of course. > > 2) the documentation on refining carbohydrates in Coot has recently been > updated > > http://www.biop.ox.ac.uk/coot/doc/coot/Refining-Carbohydrates.html > > 3) Coot does not (yet) correct chiral centre inversions in glycosidic > linkages on refinement > > 4) or delete the O1s :) > > Paul. > > > > Robbie Joosten wrote: > >> Dear Steve, >> >> I would also use Damian's approach, but the sequence of the core should be >> NAG-NAG-BMA-(MAN)2. This is improtant because the correct stereochemistry >> restraints for beta-mannose can only be applied when you call the residue >> BMA. >> Building carbohydrates also comes with special validation requirements. >> PDB-care and CARP are both very usefull. Unfortunately, the service is >> currently down (http://www.dkfz.de/spec/glycosciences.de). Just make sure >> the links between your carbs are correct and, please, remove the O1 atoms >> when needed ;) >> >> Cheers, >> Robbie Joosten >> >> ---------------------------------------- >> >> >>> Date: Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:48:31 -0800 >>> From: dceki...@scripps.edu >>> Subject: Re: [ccp4bb] Coot pudding? (a.k.a N-linked carbohydrate addition) >>> To: CCP4BB@JISCMAIL.AC.UK >>> >>> Steve, >>> >>> My general strategy is to start with an "ideal" glycan (an Asn linked to >>> NAG-NAG-(MAN)3 ) and superimpose the Asn on the residue from my protein. >>> Then you can move the whole glycan as a rigid body until the Asn and >>> first NAG are roughly positioned. Then you can tweak any sugars further >>> out on the chain to get them to fit. Unless you have really great >>> density, usually it is best to avoid real pace refine zone. Better to >>> fit the sugars using the manual rigid body fitting tools, do the best >>> you can, then REFMAC usually brings them in OK. >>> >>> I have some models that I could send you if you need them. >>> >>> Best, >>> >>> Damian Ekiert >>> >>> >>> >>> Soisson, Stephen M wrote: >>> >>> >>>> Hi everyone- >>>> >>>> I was searching for some information on what might be the best way to >>>> add N-linked sugars in coot, and Google has let me down. Searching >>>> "adding sugars in coot" returns a very nice recipe for Coot Pudding. >>>> >>>> ***_Recipe for_/ Coot//__/_ Pudding - American_/ Coots/* >>>> ******** It has plenty of fat,/ >>>> sugar/, and starch, and probably some calcium from the milk.* ...* The/ >>>> coots/ will not tolerate/ adding/ eggs in any form, so this is an egg* >>>> >>>> >> ...* >> >> >>>> ///_www.beaky_//_*coot*.com/pudding.html_/// >>>> ///// -/ _Similar_ >>>> // >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> I did not know that coots had such an aversion to eggs. :) >>>> >>>> Anyway, would anyone have any top tips on adding N-linked sugars using >>>> coot? I can import the NAG monomers, but linking them up to the protein >>>> seems non-trivial >>>> >>>> Many thanks in advance, >>>> >>>> Steve >>>> >>>> >>>> Notice: This e-mail message, together with any attachments, contains >>>> >>>> >> information of Merck & Co., Inc. 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