Custom Residue Labeling

Choosing Actions... Label... residue... custom... from the Chimera menu opens the dialog for custom residue labeling.

The Residue label field contains substitution codes and text representing the composition of the label. Arbitrary text, including spaces, can be entered directly in the field. Several descriptors are available for labeling and can be inserted at the current cursor position in the Residue label field. Pressing the descriptor buttons will Insert substitution code for:

name - residue name
1-letter code - one-letter residue code for standard amino acids, residue name for other residues
specifier - residue number, insertion code, and chain ID
number - residue number
insertion code - residue insertion code
chain - chain ID

The substitution code is simply %(descriptor)s; for example, the substitution code for name is %(name)s. The Residue label field allows standard keyboard editing: the cursor can be moved by mouse click, highlighted text is replaced, and both substitution codes and arbitrary text can be erased manually. Arbitrary text can be entered before, between, and after substitution codes (just not within a substitution code).

For example, the following would label lysine, residue 8 in chain C as "wt K8":

wt %(1-letter code)s%(number)s

If the custom label definition includes a descriptor that is not applicable to a particular residue (not all residues have an insertion code or chain ID, for example), nothing will be inserted in that part of the label for that residue.

OK performs the labeling and dismisses the dialog, whereas Apply performs the labeling without dismissing the dialog. Close simply dismisses the dialog. Help opens this manual page in a browser window.