SABA (secondary structure assignment program based on only alpha carbons): a novel pseudo center geometrical criterion for accurate assignment of protein secondary structures

Most widely used secondary structure assignment methods such as DSSP identify structural elements based on N-H and C=O hydrogen bonding patterns from X-ray or NMR-determined coordinates. Secondary structure assignment algorithms using limited $C{\alpha}$ information have been under development as well, but their accuracy is only ~80% compared to DSSP. We have hereby developed SABA (Secondary Structure Assignment Program Based on only Alpha Carbons) with ~90% accuracy. SABA defines a novel geometrical parameter, termed a pseudo center, which is the midpoint of two continuous $C{\alpha}s$. SABA is capable of identifying $\alpha$-helices, $3_{10}$-helices, and $\beta$-strands with high accuracy by using cut-off criteria on distances and dihedral angles between two or more pseudo centers. In addition to assigning secondary structures to $C{\alpha}$-only structures, algorithms using limited $C{\alpha}$ information with high accuracy have the potential to enhance the speed of calculations for high capacity structure comparison.