from molecules to slides: epstopicttm and epsconvertertm for the macintosh
TRANSCRIPT
COMPUTER CORNER
From molecules to slides: EPStoPICT TM and epsConverter TM
for the Macintosh
The images produced by structural modelling programs such as MAGE ~ and RasMol 2, both previously reviewed in Computer Comer, are fantastic for view- ing your favourite molecule or for teaching the finer points of protein structure (see Fig. 1). But, for the begin- ner, printing out or editing the images requires some experimentation and assistance. For example, MAGE can write PostScript files that print images per- fectly, but pose an editing problem for mere mortals: a typical file starts like this:
%!PS-Adobe-l.0 %%Title: kinemage %%Creator: MAGE save /Helvetica findfont
[ 14 0 0 -14 0 0 ] makefont setfont 36 756 translate % 36 == half inch in from edges 1 -1 scale % 72 pixels per inch, invert y-axis 1 setlinejoin 1 setlinecap 329.000000 329.000000 moveto 328.000000 323.000000 lineto stroke 328.000000 337.000000 moveto 329.000000 334.000000 lineto 329.000000 329.000000 lineto 328.000000 323.000000 moveto 328.000000 316.000000 lineto 327.000000 309.000000 lineto 328.000000 303.000000 lineto stroke - ending seven pages later.
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Unfortunately, programs such as MacDraw Pro and Claris Draw interpret these files only as text, and even if they are recognized as PostScript files, they are frequently displayed as blank place- markers that print perfectly, but cannot be accessed for editing.
For making slides or figures from these kinds of files, I've found a couple of programs, written by Sam Weiss of Artemis Software, to be indispensable: (1) epsConverter TM, which converts MAGE PostScript files into a form that can be read and displayed by Adobe Illustrator, and (2) EPStoPICT TM, which translates the PostScript files into PICT format. Since any Macintosh graphics program can read and display PICT for- mat figures, this program is probably of greatest use for most people.
You will still need to experiment with various options, but the image seen on screen is accurately reproduced both on paper and film, and every dot, line and colour can be edited. Both pro- grams come with excellent manuals, and can be obtained by anonymous ftp on a trial basis. Registration costs $25.00 and information about updates is disseminated by Email (see Box I).
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Figure 1 An example of a Kinemage picture written out as PostScript. The structures of cyclin-dependent- kinase 2 (CDK2)-bound cyclin A in red and of free cyclin A in blue show that the changes in cyclin structure that occur on binding to CDK2 are minor. Thanks to N. Pavletich, J. Endicott and their col- leagues for providing the coordinates (see Refs 3, 4).
Box I. How to reach Artemis Software
Anonymous ftp: ftp://users.aol,com/ artemissw/
America Online: ArtemisSW Email: [email protected] FAX: O0 1 206 780 0271 Mail: Artemis Software, PO Box 11488, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110-5488, USA.
References 1 Richardson, D. C. and Richardson, J. S. (1994)
Trends Biochem. Sci. 19, 135-138 2 Sayle, R. A. and Milner-White, E. J. (1995)
Trends Biochem. Sci. 20, 374-376 3 Jeffrey, P. D. et al. (1995) Nature 376,
313-320 4 Brown, N. R. et al. (1995) Structure 3,
1235-1247
TIM HUNT
ICRF Clare Hall Laboratories, South Mimms, Herts, UK EN6 3LD.
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74 �9 1996, Elsevier Science Ltd