Improved hot-spot location technique for proteins using a bandpass notch digital filter

An improved technique for the location of hot spots in proteins based on the use of a bandpass notch (BPN) filter is described. The BPN filter is designed by specifying a stability margin and then minimizing the area under the amplitude response so as to achieve maximum selectivity for the chosen stability margin. Preliminary results indicate that the use of a BPN filter leads to improved hot-spot prediction compared to results obtained with classical filters investigated earlier by the authors such as inverse-Chebyshev filters. The results also show that the improved technique yields predictions that are consistent with results based on biological methodologies. In addition, the technique reveals certain new ‘potential’ hot-spot locations which could be investigated further by the biological community.