NUMERICAL CRITERIA FOR THE EVALUATION OF AB-INITIO PREDICTIONS OF PROTEIN-STRUCTURE

As part of the CASP2 protein structure prediction experiment, a set of numerical criteria cs ere defined for the evaluation of ''ab initio'' predictions, The evaluation package comprises a series of electronic submission formats, a submission validator, evaluation software, and a series of scripts to summarize the results for the CASP2 meeting and for presentation via the World Wide Web (WWW). The evaluation package is accessible for use on new predictions via WWW so that results can b e compared to those submitted to CASP2, With further input from the co mmunity the evaluation criteria are expected to evolve into a comprehe nsive set of measures capturing the overall quality of a prediction as well as critical detail essential for further development of predicti on methods, We discuss present measures, limitations of the current cr iteria, and possible improvements. (C) 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.