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You've probably done it already, but solvent flattening/flipping/massaging at 80% solvent should provide a cheap thrill with regard to phase improvement.

=====================================
Phoebe A. Rice
Dept. of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
The University of Chicago
phone 773 834 1723
http://bmb.bsd.uchicago.edu/Faculty_and_Research/01_Faculty/01_Faculty_Alphabetically.php?faculty_id=123
http://www.rsc.org/shop/books/2008/9780854042722.asp


---- Original message ----
>Date: Fri, 28 Jan 2011 14:29:07 -0600
>From: CCP4 bulletin board <[log in to unmask]> (on behalf of Todd Geders <[log in to unmask]>)
>Subject: [ccp4bb] Noisy difference maps with high solvent content?  
>To: [log in to unmask]
>
>   Greetings CCP4bb,
>
>   Short version:  
>
>   Very noisy difference maps from a crystal with
>   extremely high solvent content, seeking advice on
>   how best to handle such high solvent content to
>   eliminate noise in difference maps.
>   http://strayxray.com/images/coot.jpg
>
>   Long version:
>
>   I'm having trouble with a 3.0Å dataset from a
>   crystal with 80% solvent content.  The space group
>   is P4132 and I'm quite confident the high solvent
>   content is real (there is a species-specific set of
>   helices extending into the solvent channels that
>   appears to prevent tighter packing).
>
>   I was able to get a MR solution using a structurally
>   related enzyme, but the difference maps are terribly
>   noisy (see link).  There are lots of negative
>   density in empty spaces between well-defined 2Fo-Fc
>   electron density.  
>
>   http://strayxray.com/images/coot.jpg
>
>   The 2Fo-Fc density actually looks fairly good.  The
>   initial MR maps had clear density correlating to the
>   sequence differences between the MR model and the
>   crystallized protein.  After fixing the model as
>   best I could, the refinement statistics are R/Rfree
>   of 27.5/30.3 with a data/parameters ratio of 1.7.
>
>   The mosaicity ranges from 0.15-0.3, data were
>   collected with 0.5° oscillations and 180° of data
>   were collected.  
>
>   http://strayxray.com/images/diffraction.jpg
>
>   Since the crystals appeared to suffer from radiation
>   decay (based on scaling statistics), I only use the
>   first 40° of data (which still gives around 8-fold
>   redundancy).  Using more minimal wedges of data or
>   more data does not noticeably make better or noisier
>   maps.
>
>   Any advice on improving the maps?  Could the noisy
>   maps be due to the extraordinarily high solvent
>   content?
>
>   I'd appreciate any advice or comments.
>
>   ~Todd Geders