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BL09 - MISTRAL
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Sample environments & preparation
Preparing you experiment

This Manual provides a specific guidance on the best way to work on MISTRAL beamline.

Many steps of this manual could be followed in the paper: https://www.jove.com/es/t/62190/a-3d-cartographic-description-cell-cryo-soft-x-ray

The JOVE paper is a protocol focuses on briefly summarizing the major sample preparation steps, although each system might need individual refinement, followed by a detailed step-by-step data collection procedure for cryo soft X-ray tomography.

Please feedback to your local contact any errors in the manual or any areas that might be improved.

Sample preparation

  • Step-by-step protocol of how to prepare grids from tissue culture to vitrification of biological samples: Sample_preparation_adherent_cells
  • Step-by-step protocol of how to prepare grids from suspension cell to vitrification of biological samples: Sample_preparation_cells_in_suspension
  • Step-by-step protocol of how to Cryo-Linkam visible light sample screening: Linkam

Plan experiment

Shipping dewar with the sample one week before the experiment.

We recommend filling the next document of sample inventory Grid_inventory_Template.

For presently beamtime please discuss arrival times with your local contact.

Remote experiments

For remote experimenters read the Remote access to ALBA beamline desktops using NoMachine NX.

  • The Local contact will create a logbook in dropbox and a zoom session for the beamtime.
  • For mixed remote access (i.e. where a member of your team is on-site) please discuss your requirements for remote access with your local contact before your experiment.

We would recommend a connection test before the beamtime in order to solve technical issues and check the resolution in the screen of the users.

The following PCs are accessible:

  • pcbl0903: (linux) Data conversion, analysis with python routines.
  • pcbl0908: (windows) In case you need a windows pc with read & write access to the data folder.
  • bl09txmwin10: (windows) Data acquisition, control of TXM (and a few beamline parameters).
Data collection during beamtime

Step-by-step protocol for data collection using MISTRAL transmission X-ray microscope (TXRM): MISTRAL_Manual

On-sita data analysis

In-house software: Package with a command line interface. While your data is being collected there are a series of data analysis programs that are run at MISTRAL PC:

For spectroscopy data analysis

  • To produce the E stack: energyscan --txm Escan.txt --stack
  •  Stack (to be done at a BL PC, with XMController software):
  • XMController/File/Create .txrm from xrm
  • add: select all files from spectrum (not FF! and not Add directory) & click once on 'File name' at top of window in order to organize files by Energy/name & create
  • repeat for FF (when creating, better to give the same name as before adding _FF)
  • From a linux computer and within the data folder (e.g. opbl09@pcbl0903:/> cd beamlines/bl09/projects/cycle2021-I/2021024878-laballe/DATA/20210424):
  • Convert: txrm2nexus filename.txrm filename_FF.txrm
  • Normalize: normalize filename.hdf5 -s=1
  • For alignment:

    • xpy_tilt_align_h5 -i xxx_specnorm.hdf5:/SpecNormalized/spectroscopy_normalized -o  xxx_spectnorm_aliOF –-ref 0
    • ctalign filename_specnorm.hdf5 -s=1 -r=1
    • Convert transmission to absorbance (A = -ln(T)), split the stack in single images (required for TXMWizard software), and include measured photon energy (Eenc) in each filename:
    • (Optional) Copy aligned stack to a separate folder before splitting and obtaining ln.
    • mkdir Newfoldername
    • cp filename_specnorm_ali.hdf5 Newfoldername
    • splithdfln filename_specnorm_ali.hdf5
  • TXMWizard/TXM E Scan/TXM-XANES Wizard. Load/Load Image Stack: select all split images
    • Tools/Crop images: rectangular selection excluding detector edges for ALL the series (check end ones!). Once selected, double click to apply.
    • Press either Get bulk XANES or Get XANES of ROI for a first spectrum. Former will average all image, latter requires a post selection with the mouse (painting without lifting & at the end double-click).
    • Select points (at least a few, if possible tens) from spectrum corresponding to pre-edge and to post-edge (or peak), write them in XANES normalization corresponding boxes. Write typically 4 Edge jump filter threshold
    • Click apply edge jump filter to obtain cluster maps for threshold from 1 up to the chosen value (e.g. 4).
    • Refine Edge jump filter threshold value that corresponds to the regions to be analyzed & click Apply edge jump filter to obtain XANES maps.
    • Filtered image can be saved: Save/Save image(s) & select Edge jump and Edge jump filter.
    • To obtain spectrum from the filtered image, keep Selected transmission image & click use edge jump filter. Then redo either Get bulk XANES or Get XANES of ROI.
    • Can only save spectrum as .fig, data to be extracted with Matlab.

Step-by-step protocol of how to use Wizard : TXM_XANES_WIzard2

For alignment of a single tomography

Before first single tomos are collected and in the inmediate folder above the different tomo folders (tomo01...tomoXX), launch this command for automatic processing:

auto_txrm2deconv [directory] -zp [40 or 25] -dx [pixel size] -e 520 -k [0.05 or/and 0.07] -t -1 -ln true --ali [xpy or ctalignxcorr or patchtracking or aretomo or all] --recon [xpy or ctalignxcorr or patchtracking or aretomo or all]

If the tomos have already been acquired, you can launch in each tomoXX folder:

  1. txrm2deconv -zp [40 or 25] -dx [pixel size] -e 520 -k [0.05 or/and 0.07] -t -1 -ln true -ali [xpy, ctalignxcorr, patchtracking, all]
Converting image data from txrm to NeXus HDF5
Normalizing
Deconvoluting PSF
default value K=0.05 or 0.08 (K=1/SNR)
  • Explanation of the different steps:
    • 1.)     txrm2deconv 20XXXXXX_tomoXX.txrm 20XXXXXX_tomoXX_FF.txrm -zp=25 40 -e=520 -dx=px -k=0.05 0.07 -t=-1
      Converting image data from txrm to NeXus HDF5
      Normalizing
      Deconvoluting PSF    default value K=0.05 or 0.07 (K=1/SNR
2.)   Alignments:
  •   ctalignxcorr *_deconv_*.hdf5 *_norm.mrc
    ctalignxcorr aligns the stack by fiducials
    When you get the info “ERROR: BEADTRACK - READING SEED MODEL FILE: FILE DOES NOT EXIST” It may mean that there is no fiducial detected. Just skip this tomo and do manual alignment
  • xpy_tilt_align -i *_deconv.mrc -o *_deconv_xpy
    when there are no fiducials, better to align with optical flow algorithm
  • patchtracking *_norm_deconv_k_0.05.mrc angles.tlt -o *_norm_deconv_k_0.05_ali_patchtracking.mrc
3.)  minus natural log: lnstacks *deconv_*.ali

Reconstruction

 1) Using tomo3d for SIRT without long object compensation (LOC)

  • tomo3d -a 20XXXXX_tomoXX_norm_deconv.tlt -i 20XXXXXX_tomoXX_norm_deconv_*_ln.mrc -S -l [number of iterations] -z [number of slices] -w off

 -l=iterations; -z=height
Fast tomographic reconstruction on multicore computers
Agulleiro & Fernandez. Bioinformatics 27:582-583, 201120191204_tomo01_norm.mrc 
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/bioinformatics/btq692

To obtain a “xyz” view of the volume: trimvol -yz recon_XXX.mrc XXXXXXXX_3DS30.mrc
when finished, remove XXX.ali~ by doing: rm XXX.ali~

When doing LAC, you can re-invert the contrast with ImageJ.

Note that if you are only interested in the structure of organelles, the LOC gives better visual results but  re-scales the voxel values.

2) Using tomopy ART for LAC (once final stack alignment obtained)

  • Borders of aligned tilt series need to be cropped symmetrically from the center of the image: choose the projection which has the highest shift! The final stack needs to be cleaned from any border

newstack -si X,Y [input.mrc] [output.mrc]

  • ART reconstruction: 20 iterations

xpy_tomopy_recon -i [input.mrc] -o [output.mrc] -a art –tlt [*.tlt] -iter 20

xpy_tomo_recon -i [input.mrc] -t *.tlt -o [output.mrc] --iter 20 --alg art --tomopy

To open volume

To open volume with:

  1. 3dmod volume.mrc (use Image/XYZ for visualizing all planes)
  2. fiji/import/mrc leginon

Command line used to go from acquired single tomos txrm stack files to a fully reconstructed stack:

This command line is used to go from acquired single tomos txrm stack files (Sample stack and FlatField stack), into a fully reconstructed stack. Passing through conversion from txrm to hdf5, normalization, deconvolution, alignment and reconstruction volume for processing several topographies in the same folder:

for i in XX; do txrm2deconv 20XXXXXX_tomo"$i".txrm 20XXXXX_tomo"$i"_FF.txrm -zp=25 -e=520 -dx=11 -k=0.05 -t=-1 && ctalignxcorr 20200208_tomo"$i"_norm_deconv_k_0.05.mrc 20200208_tomo"$i"_norm.hdf5 && tomo3d -i *.ali -a *.tlt -o x -S -l 20 -z 700 && trimvol -yz x 20200208_tomo"$i"_3DS20.mrc && rm x; done
for i in 04 05 06 07 08 09; do cd ../tomo$i/ && txrm2deconv 20210519_tomo"$i".txrm 20210519_tomo"$i"_FF.txrm -zp=25 -e=520 -dx=11 -k=0.05 -t=-1 && ctalignxcorr 20210519_tomo"$i"_norm_deconv_k_0.05.mrc 20210519_tomo"$i"_norm.hdf5 && tomo3d -i *.ali -a *.tlt -o x -S -l 30 -z 700 && trimvol -yz x 20210519_tomo"$i"_3DS30.mrc && rm x ; done

Processing for multifocal tomography

1. autoprocessing done in parallel when collecting with macroexecutor “autotomo”: each tomo will be saved in different data_XX folder, normalised hdf5 stacks of each foci and fused (FS) stacks will be made and saved outside the “data_XX” folders:

tomo01-03 (folder)
data_01 (subfolder)
data_02 (subfolder)
data_03 (subfolder)
date_tomo01_E_ZPzPos1_stack.hdf5 (file)
date_tomo01_E_ZPzPos2_stack.hdf5 (file)
date_tomo01_E_ZPzPos3_stack.hdf5 (file)
date_tomo01_E_FS.hdf5 (file)

When FS stack created by ctbio

2. Deconvolution: tomo_deconv 25 520 date date_tomoXX_FS.hdf5 pixel_size K Zsize

default values for FS: K=1/SNR=0.02, Zsize=20 (in microns)
default values for single: K=0.05, Zsize=-1
tomo_deconv 40 520 20190710 XXX_FS.mrc 13 0.1 -1

Deconvolute many FS.mrc in the same folder:
deconv folder 25 520 20190509 px K Zs /beamlines/bl09/controls/user_resources/psf_director

3. -ln(stack.ali) for getting the linear absorption coefficients

4. ctalignxcorr XXX_deconv.mrc XX_norm(FS).hdf5 (hdf5 needed to extract angles)

ctalignxcorr XXX_deconv.mrc 20190430_tomo004_norm.hdf

5. tomo3d -a 20190430_tomo004_norm.tlt -i 20190430_tomo004_norm.ali -S 20

S=SIRT, 20=iterations
Fast tomographic reconstruction on multicore computers
Agulleiro & Fernandez. Bioinformatics 27:582-583, 2011
http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/bioinformatics/btq692

produces “recon_XXX_ali” which is a “xzy” view of the volume

6. to obtain a “xyz” view of the volume: trimvol -yz recon_XXX.ali recon_XXX.ali

Download experimental data

The remotely download of the experiment data for windows could be done following the https://www.cells.es/en/users/your-experiment/after-your-experiment#section-3

Data analysis

Download experimental data

The remotely download of the experiment data for windows could be done following the steps of the guide of this link (section 4).

Offsite data access

IMOD: IMOD is a set of open image processing, modeling and display programs used for tomographic reconstruction: 
https://bio3d.colorado.edu/imod/

Guide on how to align manually the tomograms using IMOD for tilt series reconstruction into a tomogram: alignment_using_ETOMO

Step-by-step video Guide using IMOD for tilt series reconstruction into a tomogram

Analysis server access

MISTRAL users have access to different server for DATA Analysis:

  • DATA Analysis Server. In the link you can find the guide for remote connection to DATA Analysis Server.
  • Mistral users  have access to AMIRA software tools by a server.

We recommend booked the connection for the server in the next link:
https://nextcloud.cells.es/s/z38XBLNKkJ8dp8p

The guide for remote connection to AMIRA desktop and guide on how to perform the segmentation, videos and volume analysis of the tomograms: AMIRA_fast_Manual

Step-by-step video Guide using AMIRA for segmenting the tomogram

Step-by-step video Guide using AMIRA for making videos from segmented tomograms

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