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Implementation of the riding hydrogen model in CCTBX to support the next generation of X-ray and neutron joint refinement in Phenix

A fundamental prerequisite for implementing new procedures of atomic model refinement against neutron diffraction data is the efficient handling of hydrogen atoms. The riding hydrogen model, which constrains hydrogen atom parameters to those of the non-hydrogen atoms, is a plausible parameterization for refinements. This work describes the implementation of the riding hydrogen model in the Computational Crystallography Toolbox and in Phenix. Riding hydrogen atoms can be found in several different configurations that are characterized by specific geometries. For each configuration, the hydrogen atom parameterization and the expressions for the gradients of refinement target function with respect to non-hydrogen parameters are described.

H atom parameterization↗

Indexing amyloid peptide diffraction from serial femtosecond crystallography: new algorithms for sparse patterns

Special methods are required to interpret sparse diffraction patterns collected from peptide crystals at X-ray free-electron lasers. Bragg spots can be indexed from composite-image powder rings, with crystal orientations then deduced from a very limited number of spot positions. Still diffraction patterns from peptide nanocrystals with small unit cells are challenging to index using conventional methods owing to the limited number of spots and the lack of crystal orientation information for individual images. New indexing algorithms have been developed as part of the Computational Crystallography Toolbox (cctbx) to overcome these challenges. Accurate unit-cell information derived from an aggregate data set from thousands of diffraction patterns can be used to determine a crystal orientation matrix for individual images with as few as five reflections. These algorithms are potentially applicable not only to amyloid peptides but also to any set of diffraction patterns with sparse properties, such as low-resolution virus structures or high-throughput screening of still images captured by raster-scanning at synchrotron sources. As a proof of concept for this technique, successful integration of X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) data to 2.5 Å resolution for the amyloid segment GNNQQNY from the Sup35 yeast prion is presented.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Programming new geometry restraints: Parallelity of atomic groups

Improvements in structural biology methods, in particular crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy, have created an increased demand for the refinement of atomic models against low-resolution experimental data. One way to compensate for the lack of high-resolution experimental data is to use a priori information about model geometry that can be utilized in refinement in the form of stereochemical restraints or constraints. Here, the definition and calculation of the restraints that can be imposed on planar atomic groups, in particular the angle between such groups, are described. Detailed derivations of the restraint targets and their gradients are provided so that they can be readily implemented in other contexts. Practical implementations of the restraints, and of associated data structures, in the Computational Crystallography Toolbox ( cctbx ) are presented.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

pyDiSCaMB : enabling the use of multipolar scattering factors in Phenix

Multipolar scattering models, such as the transferable aspherical atom model, account for atomic chemical interactions and provide a more accurate representation of experimental data. However, the simpler independent atom model (IAM), which assumes non-interacting atoms, is the only model available in the most widely used macromolecular refinement programs. This is primarily because IAM offers a hard-to-beat combination of computational efficiency and modelling power at typical macromolecular resolutions. By contrast, more accurate multipolar modelling has historically been limited due to its computational cost and the absence of an interface between software capable of calculating structure factors and gradients based on multipolar models and software designed for macromolecular refinement. This work introduces pyDiSCaMB , a Python software package designed to integrate between the computational crystallography toolbox ( cctbx ) and the quantum crystallography library DiSCaMB ( Densities in Structural Chemistry and Molecular Biology ), thus enabling multipolar scattering models in Phenix 's toolkit. The implementation, features and capabilities of pyDiSCaMB are presented, the runtimes for the calculation of structure factor and target gradients with respect to atomic parameters are explored, and Fourier images of electrostatic potential, electron density and deformation maps are computed as illustrative examples. The pyDiSCaMB library will make multipolar modelling widely available to the structural biology community, potentially transforming refinement and model-building for both crystallography and cryogenic electron microscopy (cryoEM).

MATTS data bank↗

Real‐time XFEL data analysis at SLAC and NERSC: A trial run of nascent exascale experimental data analysis

X‐ray scattering experiments using free electron lasers (XFELs) are a powerful tool to determine the molecular structure and function of unknown samples (such as COVID‐19 viral proteins). XFEL experiments are a challenge to computing in two ways: (i) due to the high cost of running XFELs, a fast turnaround time from data acquisition to data analysis is essential to make informed decisions on experimental protocols; (ii) data‐collection rates are growing exponentially, requiring new scalable algorithms. Here we report our experiences analyzing data from two experiments at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) during September 2020. Raw data were analyzed on NERSC's Cori XC40 system, using the Superfacility paradigm: our workflow automatically moves raw data between LCLS and NERSC, where it is analyzed using the software package CCTBX. We achieved real time data analysis with a turnaround time from data acquisition to full molecular reconstruction in as little as 10 min—sufficient time for the experiment's operators to make informed decisions. By hosting the data analysis on Cori, and by automating LCLS‐NERSC interoperability, we achieved a data analysis rate which matches the data acquisition rate. Completing data analysis within 10 min is a first for XFEL experiments and an important milestone if we are to keep up with data‐collection trends.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Bulk-solvent and overall scaling revisited: faster calculations, improved results

A fast and robust method for determining the parameters for a flat (mask-based) bulk-solvent model and overall scaling in macromolecular crystallographic structure refinement and other related calculations is described. This method uses analytical expressions for the determination of optimal values for various scale factors. The new approach was tested using nearly all entries in the PDB for which experimental structure factors are available. In general, the resulting R factors are improved compared with previously implemented approaches. In addition, the new procedure is two orders of magnitude faster, which has a significant impact on the overall runtime of refinement and other applications. An alternative function is also proposed for scaling the bulk-solvent model and it is shown that it outperforms the conventional exponential function. Similarly, alternative methods are presented for anisotropic scaling and their performance is analyzed. All methods are implemented in the Computational Crystallography Toolbox (cctbx) and are used in PHENIX programs.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

dxtbx : the diffraction experiment toolbox

Data formats for recording X-ray diffraction data continue to evolve rapidly to accommodate new detector technologies developed in response to more intense light sources. Processing the data from single-crystal X-ray diffraction experiments therefore requires the ability to read, and correctly interpret, image data and metadata from a variety of instruments employing different experimental representations. Tools that have previously been developed to address this problem have been limited either by a lack of extensibility or by inconsistent treatment of image metadata. The dxtbx software package provides a consistent interface to both image data and experimental models, while supporting a completely generic user-extensible approach to reading the data files. The library is written in a mixture of C++ and Python and is distributed as part of the cctbx under an open-source licence at http://cctbx.sourceforge.net.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

Efficient structure-factor modeling for crystals with multiple components

Diffraction intensities from a crystallographic experiment include contributions from the entire unit cell of the crystal: the macromolecule, the solvent around it and eventually other compounds. These contributions cannot typically be well described by an atomic model alone, i.e . using point scatterers. Indeed, entities such as disordered (bulk) solvent, semi-ordered solvent ( e.g. lipid belts in membrane proteins, ligands, ion channels) and disordered polymer loops require other types of modeling than a collection of individual atoms. This results in the model structure factors containing multiple contributions. Most macromolecular applications assume two-component structure factors: one component arising from the atomic model and the second one describing the bulk solvent. A more accurate and detailed modeling of the disordered regions of the crystal will naturally require more than two components in the structure factors, which presents algorithmic and computational challenges. Here an efficient solution of this problem is proposed. All algorithms described in this work have been implemented in the computational crystallography toolbox ( CCTBX ) and are also available within Phenix software. These algorithms are rather general and do not use any assumptions about molecule type or size nor about those of its components.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

Universal parameters of bulk-solvent masks

The bulk solvent is a major component of biomacromolecular crystals that contributes significantly to the observed diffraction intensities. Accurate modelling of the bulk solvent has been recognized as important for many crystallographic calculations. Owing to its simplicity and modelling power, the flat (mask-based) bulk-solvent model is used by most modern crystallographic software packages to account for disordered solvent. In this model, the bulk-solvent contribution is defined by a binary mask and a scale (scattering) function. The mask is calculated on a regular grid using the atomic model coordinates and their chemical types. The grid step and two radii, solvent and shrinkage, are the three parameters that govern the mask calculation. They are highly correlated and their choice is a compromise between the computer time needed to calculate the mask and the accuracy of the mask. It is demonstrated here that this choice can be optimized using a unique value of 0.6 Å for the grid step irrespective of the data resolution, and the radii values adjusted correspondingly. The improved values were tested on a large sample of Protein Data Bank entries derived from X-ray diffraction data and are now used in the computational crystallography toolbox ( CCTBX ) and in Phenix as the default choice.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Real-Time XFEL Data Analysis at SLAC and NERSC: a Trial Run of Nascent Exascale Experimental Data Analysis

X-ray scattering experiments using Free Electron Lasers (XFELs) are a powerful tool to determine the molecular structure and function of unknown samples (such as COVID-19 viral proteins). XFEL experiments are a challenge to computing in two ways: i) due to the high cost of running XFELs, a fast turnaround time from data acquisition to data analysis is essential to make informed decisions on experimental protocols; ii) data collection rates are growing exponentially, requiring new scalable algorithms. Here we report our experiences analyzing data from two experiments at the Linac Coherent Light Source (LCLS) during September 2020. Raw data were analyzed on NERSC's Cori XC40 system, using the Superfacility paradigm: our workflow automatically moves raw data between LCLS and NERSC, where it is analyzed using the software package CCTBX. We achieved real time data analysis with a turnaround time from data acquisition to full molecular reconstruction in as little as 10 min -- sufficient time for the experiment's operators to make informed decisions. By hosting the data analysis on Cori, and by automating LCLS-NERSC interoperability, we achieved a data analysis rate which matches the data acquisition rate. Furthermore, completing data analysis with 10 mins is a first for XFEL experiments and an important milestone if we are to keep up with data collection trends.

Blaschke, Johannes P.↗

FEM: Feature-enhanced map

A method is presented that modifies a 2 m F obs - D F model σ A -weighted map such that the resulting map can strengthen a weak signal, if present, and can reduce model bias and noise. The method consists of first randomizing the starting map and filling in missing reflections using multiple methods. This is followed by restricting the map to regions with convincing density and the application of sharpening. The final map is then created by combining a series of histogram-equalized intermediate maps. In the test cases shown, the maps produced in this way are found to have increased interpretability and decreased model bias compared with the starting 2 m F obs - D F model σ A -weighted map.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Macromolecular structure determination using X-rays, neutrons and electrons: recent developments in Phenix

Diffraction (X-ray, neutron and electron) and electron cryo-microscopy are powerful methods to determine three-dimensional macromolecular structures, which are required to understand biological processes and to develop new therapeutics against diseases. The overall structure-solution workflow is similar for these techniques, but nuances exist because the properties of the reduced experimental data are different. Software tools for structure determination should therefore be tailored for each method. Phenix is a comprehensive software package for macromolecular structure determination that handles data from any of these techniques. Tasks performed with Phenix include data-quality assessment, map improvement, model building, the validation/rebuilding/refinement cycle and deposition. Each tool caters to the type of experimental data. The design of Phenix emphasizes the automation of procedures, where possible, to minimize repetitive and time-consuming manual tasks, while default parameters are chosen to encourage best practice. A graphical user interface provides access to many command-line features of Phenix and streamlines the transition between programs, project tracking and re-running of previous tasks.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗