Michelanglo: sculpting protein views on web pages without coding.

MOTIVATION: The sharing of macromolecular structural information online by scientists is predominantly performed via two-dimensional static images, since the embedding of interactive 3D structures in webpages is non-trivial. Whilst the technologies to do so exist, they are often only implementable with significant web coding experience.
RESULTS: Michelanglo is an accessible and open-source web-based application that supports the generation, customisation and sharing of interactive three-dimensional macromolecular visualisations for digital media without requiring programming skills. A PyMOL file, PDB file, PDB identifier code or protein/gene name can be provided to form the basis of visualisations using the NGL JavaScript library. Hyperlinks that control the view can be added to text within the page. Protein-coding variants can be highlighted to support interpretation of their potential functional consequences. The resulting visualisations and text can be customised and shared, as well as embedded within existing web sites by following instructions and using a self-contained download. Michelanglo allows researchers to move away from static images and instead engage, describe and explain their protein to a wider audience in a more interactive fashion. AVAILABILITY: Michelanglo is hosted at michelanglo.sgc.ox.ac.uk. The Python code is freely available at github.com/thesgc/MichelaNGLo, along with documentations about its implementation.