Another note: If you are using this for coloring, even though only the sidechain atoms are selected, the ribbon for those residues would still also be colored unless you use ",a" in the coloring command, or if using the Actions menu, choose "Actions... Color... all options" and in the resulting dialog set "Coloring applies to" to "atoms/bonds" instead of "all of the above." (I noticed a question you had asked earlier and it reminded me of this issue!) <http://plato.cgl.ucsf.edu/pipermail/chimera-users/2011-May/006343.html> Elaine On Dec 9, 2013, at 11:29 AM, Elaine Meng wrote:
Dear Ming Zhou, There are a few different ways, but one is to select protein atoms that are NOT backbone, e.g.:
select protein & ~@n,ca,c,o
Another way is with the command: select side chain/base.without CA/C1'
... or the shorter version: select without CA/C1'
This is because you can use various Select menu entries exactly as they appear in the menu to specify atoms in the command line. The menu includes "Select... Structure... side chain/base... without CA/C1'" For more details on which menu items can be used in this way, see the section on "built-in classifications": <http://www.rbvi.ucsf.edu/chimera/docs/UsersGuide/midas/frameatom_spec.html>
If there was also DNA/RNA in the structure, you could then use an additional command to de-select just that part: ~select nucleic acid
There is also a "with CA/C1'" (instead of "without") for example if you wanted to use the selection to display the side chains connected to ribbons instead of floating in space.
I hope this helps, Elaine ----- Elaine C. Meng, Ph.D. UCSF Computer Graphics Lab (Chimera team) and Babbitt Lab Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry University of California, San Francisco
On Dec 9, 2013, at 10:34 AM, Zhou, Ming (NIH/NCI) [C] wrote:
Dear Elaine: I have a quick question for you. How should I select all the amino acid side chains in a protein but not the backbone (without CA/C1/N/O). How should I write this command? Thanks Ming Zhou