Contact number

Contact number (CN) is a simple solvent exposure measure that measures residue burial in proteins. The definition of CN varies between authors, but is generally defined as the number of either C$$\beta$$ or C$$\alpha$$ atoms with in a sphere around the C$$\beta$$ or C$$\alpha$$ atom of the residue. The radius of the sphere is typically chosen to be between 8 and 14Å.