EzMol: A Web Server Wizard for the Rapid Visualization and Image Production of Protein and Nucleic Acid Structures

• Published in: Journal of molecular biology 2018-07, Vol.430 (15), p.2244-2248
• Main Authors: Reynolds, Christopher R., Islam, Suhail A., Sternberg, Michael J.E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: color; computer software; Databases, Genetic; EzMol; graphics; Internet; Models, Molecular; molecular viewer; Nucleic Acid Conformation; nucleic acids; Protein Conformation; protein structure; Server; Software; User-Computer Interface; visualization; Web Browser
• ISSN: 0022-2836; 1089-8638
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2018.01.013

EzMol is a molecular visualization Web server in the form of a software wizard, located at http://www.sbg.bio.ic.ac.uk/ezmol/. It is designed for easy and rapid image manipulation and display of protein molecules, and is intended for users who need to quickly produce high-resolution images of protein molecules but do not have the time or inclination to use a software molecular visualization system. EzMol allows the upload of molecular structure files in PDB format to generate a Web page including a representation of the structure that the user can manipulate. EzMol provides intuitive options for chain display, adjusting the color/transparency of residues, side chains and protein surfaces, and for adding labels to residues. The final adjusted protein image can then be downloaded as a high-resolution image. There are a range of applications for rapid protein display, including the illustration of specific areas of a protein structure and the rapid prototyping of images. [Display omitted] •We describe EzMol, a new Web server for the rapid visualization of protein structure.•A wizard interface leads the user step-by-step through a focused set of options.•Options are based around the most common requirements for molecular visualization.•EzMol does not require any software to be downloaded and is cross-browser compatible.•EzMol is designed for occasional users and does not require commands to be memorized.