Resonance Assignment/CARA/Backbone assignment

Initializing spin systems

Normally you would start picking new spins systems from a 2D [¹⁵N,¹H] HSQC. The quickest way is to initialize them automatically.

1. Open 2D [¹⁵N,¹H]-HSQC in SynchroScope or PolyScope. Adjust the base contour level to estimate the optimal peak amplitude threshold, and note the ppm ranges where true backbone peaks are observed.
2. Run LUA script Pick_2D_Peaks (it is equivalent to the in-phase peak picking command in in XEASY, but is not interactive). The script will create new spin systems containing H and N spins. XEASY users please note that in CARA spin systems are distinct from residues and can have numbers starting with 1.
3. Delete unwanted spin systems (usually erroneously picked spectral artifacts or side-chain peaks) in SynchroScope or PolyScope by selecting them, right-clicking and choosing Delete Systems from the context menu. The corresponding spins will become 'orphaned' and can be deleted as well.
4. Pick additional spin systems by placing the mouse cursor on a spectral peak, right-clicking and selecting Pick System from the context menu. To help resolve overlaps in 2D HSQC you can load a 3D triple-resonance spectrum (like HNCO) or a 3D ¹⁵N-resolved NOESY into the strip panels of SynchroScope or PolyScope by clicking Strips -> Select Spectrum

After initializing spin systems you can proceed to pick 3D spectra either manually or automatically.

Picking spin systems manually

1. Select a spin system by left-clicking in HSQC plane or using View -> Goto System - this updates the strip display.
2. In the strip panel set the cursor on a peak and use right click -> Pick Label... or right click -> Pick Spin and right click -> Label Spin to pick C-1. Repeat last two steps for all spin systems.

Also see instructions on how to use SynchroScope here: http://www.cara.ethz.ch/Wiki/SynchroScope

Picking Spins in (4,3)D GFT HNNCABCA and CABCA(CO)NHN Spectra

Open (4,3)D GFT HNNCABCA and CABCA(CO)NHN in SynchroScope as you did with 3D HNCO. You can either open four separate SynchroScope windows, or open only one and switch between (4,3)D subspectra there.

Pick CABCA spins just like you did with C-1 spins in HNCO. It is recommended to start with (4,3)D CABCA(CO)NHN to pick CAmCA-1 CApCA-1, CAmCB-1 and CApCB-1 spins first. Then pick CAmCA CApCA, CAmCB and CApCB spins in (4,3)D GFT HNNCABCA.

Picking new spins is not as slow as in XEASY. However, it would make sense to add a script, which would create initial CABCA spins to speed up the process.

See the this page for details and examples on how to use SynchroScope: http://www.cara.ethz.ch/Wiki/SynchroScope

Calculating CA and CB Chemical Shifts

Once the GFT spins have been picked as completely as possible, run the GFT_CABCA2CACB Lua script.

IMPORTANT! Back up the repository before running the script. Missing CA and CB spins will be created, and the chemical shifts of the existing CA and CB spins will be updated.

You will need to select the project (most likely it will be the only one) and a spectrum. The spectrum is needed to use the correct carrier offset (~ 43 ppm) of the projected dimension, saved as an attribute. See also the page on loading GFT spectra.

• GFT_CABCA2CACB pop-up:
  

    <img src="%ATTACHURLPATH%/gftcacbcalc.png" alt="gftcacbcalc.png" width='217' height='184' />

The script will produce a log in the terminal window, reporting large deviations (default threshold: 0.5 ppm), missing spins and possible glycines.

At present it seems difficult to reconcile this approach with UBNMR due to:

• Nomenclature differences - H vs HN
• Two sets of SRDs SRD-I and SRD-II in XEASY/UBNMR approach
• Inconvenience - using UBNMR would require reading/writing to disk; Lua scripts operate on the data in memory.

Automated Backbone Assignment with AutoAssign

Once CA, CA-1, CB, and CB-1 spins have been created you can run AutoAssign.

To generate AutoAssign input files run Lua script ExportToAutoAssign. In a dialog window specify the directory to save the files. You will have to give a dummy filename, which will be ignored, and only the directory information will be used. This script will create four files:

• projectname.aat
• hsqc.pks
• hncacb.pks
• hncocacb.pks

Here projectname is the name of you project in CARA. Peak files hncacb.pks and hncocacb.pks will contain dummy positive and negative intensities to distinguish CA and CB peaks, respectively. These peaklist will have a perfect "registration" matching in the H-N plane.

Modify these files, if necessary and run AutoAssign by selecting Default Execution. Save results in a file by clicking on Examine -> All GSs or Examine -> Assigned GSs.

Run the ImportFromAutoAssign Lua script to read the AutoAssign result file. This script will properly link spin systems and assign them to respective residues.

IMPORTANT! *ImportFromAutoAssign* will clear all existing of spin system assignments as well as unlink all spin system! Backup the repository, if you don't want to discard any previously made assignments.

The newer version of AutoAssign should be able to handle GFT shifts directly, and this protocol may need to be modified to take advantage of it.

AutoLink is an alternative automated backbone assignment package written in LUA specifically for CARA by Jim Masse.

Verification and Manual Backbone Assignment

Experience tells that AutoAssign seldom yields an absolutely complete and accurate result. Typical inaccuracies occur when AutoAssign assumes that, for example, the user has mistaken the intra peak CA for sequential CA-1.

To verify assignments

1. Open (4,3)D GFT HNNCABCA, and 15N-resolved NOESY in StripScope. You can have several StripScope sessions simultaneously.
2. Sort the spin systems on the left panel by assignment column.
3. Display each linked fragment of spin systems by right-clicking on a spin system and selecting Show Fragment from the context menu.
4. Inspect sequential connectives between strips.
5. Check how well the fragment fits the sequence by right-clicking on a spin system and selecting Show Alignment from the context menu.

To unlink spin systems right-click on a spin system tab and select Unlink Successor or Unlink Predecessor from the context menu.

To unassign spin systems right-click on a spin system tab and choose Unassign from the context menu. IMPORTANT! Unassigning a spin system from a linked fragment of spin systems, will unassign the entire fragment!

See this page on how to do manual assignment in StripScope: http://www.cara.ethz.ch/Wiki/StripScope

To verify connectivities in 15N-resolved NOESY it may be useful to calculate HA-1 and HB-1 spins first.

%COMMENT%

-- Main.AlexEletski - 06 Jul 2007