Search for: All records

Abstract FRET experiments can provide state-specific structural information of complex dynamic biomolecular assemblies. However, to overcome the sparsity of FRET experiments, they need to be combined with computer simulations. We introduce a program suite with ( i ) an automated design tool for FRET experiments, which determines how many and which FRET pairs should be used to minimize the uncertainty and maximize the accuracy of an integrative structure, ( ii ) an efficient approach for FRET-assisted coarse-grained structural modeling, and all-atom molecular dynamics simulations-based refinement, and ( iii ) a quantitative quality estimate for judging the accuracy of FRET-derived structures as opposed to precision. We benchmark our tools against simulated and experimental data of proteins with multiple conformational states and demonstrate an accuracy of ~3 Å RMSD Cα against X-ray structures for sets of 15 to 23 FRET pairs. Free and open-source software for the introduced workflow is available at https://github.com/Fluorescence-Tools . A web server for FRET-assisted structural modeling of proteins is available at http://nmsim.de . 

Single-molecule FRET (smFRET) has become a mainstream technique for studying biomolecular structural dynamics. The rapid and wide adoption of smFRET experiments by an ever-increasing number of groups has generated significant progress in sample preparation, measurement procedures, data analysis, algorithms and documentation. Several labs that employ smFRET approaches have joined forces to inform the smFRET community about streamlining how to perform experiments and analyze results for obtaining quantitative information on biomolecular structure and dynamics. The recent efforts include blind tests to assess the accuracy and the precision of smFRET experiments among different labs using various procedures. These multi-lab studies have led to the development of smFRET procedures and documentation, which are important when submitting entries into the archiving system for integrative structure models, PDB-Dev. This position paper describes the current ‘state of the art’ from different perspectives, points to unresolved methodological issues for quantitative structural studies, provides a set of ‘soft recommendations’ about which an emerging consensus exists, and lists openly available resources for newcomers and seasoned practitioners. To make further progress, we strongly encourage ‘open science’ practices.