Sadly, I agree: it is pretty clear that the authors did not want coordinates revealed. Therefore asking them for information is not likely to lead to getting anything. To be completely fair, it's likely not even the authors themselves, but their corporate policy that's responsible.
In cases like this, I normally choose not to publish, but maybe their bosses insisted. Anyway, many options to find excuses, but it looks like Artem has to go solve this structure himself. Thank you all very much, many good responses :) Arte, - Cosmic Cats approve of this message On Tue, Apr 7, 2020 at 12:06 PM Schreuder, Herman /DE < [email protected]> wrote: > Dear Frank, > > > > here I disagree. I think it is bad practice to complain to the editors or > start naming and shaming before asking the authors first. Only if they do > not want to cooperate, it would be time to bring the flame-throwers in > position. > > > > However, I think the situation is more subtle and that that is the reason > Artem wrote his email: He wants the data, but does not want to reveal his > identity to his competitors, who apparently made a significant effort not > to reveal any useful details. > > > > Here I would let me guide by the (perceived) commercial interest: if it is > not gigantic, then I would contact the authors to prevent a wasteful > duplication of research efforts. > > If there is a significant commercial interest, it would probably be better > not to contact them and go the hard way of solving the structure yourself. > A thing to consider is also what would happen if the authors still would > refuse: they know the identity of the competitor and you still do not have > the data. > > > > An alternative may be to ask an academic friend who also works on sausage > esterases to inquire with the authors… > > > > Good luck with your decision! > > Herman > > > > *Von:* CCP4 bulletin board <[email protected]> *Im Auftrag von *Frank > von Delft > *Gesendet:* Dienstag, 7. April 2020 17:19 > *An:* [email protected] > *Betreff:* [EXTERNAL] Re: [ccp4bb] on-topic: your opinions requested! > > > > *EXTERNAL : *Real sender is [email protected] > > > > Write to the editor - that's their job. > > Though they may also see it as their job to ignore emails like yours > because that's far easier than dealing with them. > > Alternatively, go the Rupp Route: Name and Shame! ;) > > On 07/04/2020 16:08, Artem Evdokimov wrote: > > Dear CCP4ers, > > > > I would like to solicit your thoughts on the following (this is a real > situation, but salient details are changed): > > > > Imagine that you're an industrial scientist in a small company, working on > the Bavarian Sausage (Weisswurst) Esterase project. The overall structure > is previously unknown, with no good homologs in the PDB, trying to model > is "OK not great" so the structure is really needed... > > > > Then, you find an article from a large commercial competitor, that somehow > managed to solve the Stadtwurst (Saxony Sausage) Esterase structure (which > is a very close homolog to the one you need!). > > > > Sounds good - but as you read the paper you realize that the authors > managed to find a journal that allowed them to publish their work without > disclosing neither the coordinates of the model, nor even the > crystallization conditions of the protein - all that's available is a > tantalizing still picture of the active site in surface mode, with a > ball-and-stick ligand positioned such that it is impossible to say what it > interacts with. > > > > So you sit and ponder - whether to write to the Editor, or maybe to > contact the authors directly (but then they would know that you're working > on this, which is not necessarily great since you're competing), or to just > buck up and do the structure on your own (which feels a bit wasteful). > Then, you realize that your friends at CCP4 have a lot of wisdom to offer, > so you sit down and pen an email... > > > > Any thoughts? > > > > Artem > > > ------------------------------ > > To unsubscribe from the CCP4BB list, click the following link: > https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?SUBED1=CCP4BB&A=1 > <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.jiscmail.ac.uk_cgi-2Dbin_webadmin-3FSUBED1-3DCCP4BB-26A-3D1&d=DwMFaQ&c=Dbf9zoswcQ-CRvvI7VX5j3HvibIuT3ZiarcKl5qtMPo&r=HK-CY_tL8CLLA93vdywyu3qI70R4H8oHzZyRHMQu1AQ&m=yyLzWvA2WqYlYHjvwWG6lk3OIm5wwZN_UsYlNbf8Meo&s=zldJ57kosENgJpj99VYugwSVD8wrOzyvCgE4aQH58wc&e=> > > > > > ------------------------------ > > To unsubscribe from the CCP4BB list, click the following link: > https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?SUBED1=CCP4BB&A=1 > <https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.jiscmail.ac.uk_cgi-2Dbin_webadmin-3FSUBED1-3DCCP4BB-26A-3D1&d=DwMFaQ&c=Dbf9zoswcQ-CRvvI7VX5j3HvibIuT3ZiarcKl5qtMPo&r=HK-CY_tL8CLLA93vdywyu3qI70R4H8oHzZyRHMQu1AQ&m=yyLzWvA2WqYlYHjvwWG6lk3OIm5wwZN_UsYlNbf8Meo&s=zldJ57kosENgJpj99VYugwSVD8wrOzyvCgE4aQH58wc&e=> > > ------------------------------ > > To unsubscribe from the CCP4BB list, click the following link: > https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?SUBED1=CCP4BB&A=1 > ######################################################################## To unsubscribe from the CCP4BB list, click the following link: https://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/webadmin?SUBED1=CCP4BB&A=1
