An increasing number of structural studies of large macromolecular complexes, both in X-ray crystallography and electron cryomicroscopy, have resulted in intermediate resolution (5–10 Å) structures. Despite being limited in resolution, significant structural and functional information may be extractable from these maps. To aid in the analysis and annotation of these complexes, we have developed SSEhunter, a tool for the quantitative detection of α-helices and β-sheets. Based on density skeletonization, local geometry calculations and a template-based search, SSEhunter has been tested and validated on a variety of simulated and authentic subnanometer resolution density maps. The result is a robust, user-friendly approach that allows users to quickly visualize, assess and annotate intermediate resolution density maps. Beyond secondary structure element identification, the skeletonization algorithm in SSEhunter provides secondary structure topology, potentially useful in leading to structural models of individual molecular components directly from the density.
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