A web-based dashboard for RELION metadata visualization

Acta Crystallographica Section D Structural Biology, vol. 80, pp. 93–100

Abstract

Cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) has witnessed radical progress in the past decade, driven by developments in hardware and software. While current software packages include processing pipelines that simplify the image-processing workflow, they do not prioritize the in-depth analysis of crucial metadata, limiting troubleshooting for challenging data sets. The widely used RELION software package lacks a graphical native representation of the underlying metadata. Here, two web-based tools are introduced: relion_live.py, which offers real-time feedback on data collection, aiding swift decision-making during data acquisition, and relion_analyse.py, a graphical interface to represent RELION projects by plotting essential metadata including interactive data filtration and analysis. A useful script for estimating ice thickness and data quality during movie pre-processing is also presented. These tools empower researchers to analyse data efficiently and allow informed decisions during data collection and processing.

Authors 3

1. Nayim González-Rodríguez

   Spanish National Cancer Research Centre

   Affiliation as printed

   Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Melchor Fernández Almagro 3, 28029 Madrid, Spain

2. Emma Areán-Ulloa Aachen Department of Cell and Chemical Biology

   Leiden University Medical Center · Spanish National Cancer Research Centre

   Affiliation as printed

   Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Melchor Fernández Almagro 3, 28029 Madrid, Spain

   Department of Cell and Chemical Biology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands

3. Rafael Fernández-Leiro

   Spanish National Cancer Research Centre

   Affiliation as printed

   Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO), Melchor Fernández Almagro 3, 28029 Madrid, Spain