Closed

This is a throwback puzzle to the early days of Foldit. This protein is found in cold water fishes; it binds and prevents the growth of ice crystals. We are revisiting old Foldit puzzles so we can see how useful the recent additions to the game have been and to provide newer players with puzzles that are still scientifically relevant.

Fold this coronavirus protein! This is a portion of a larger protein encoded in the viral genome of SARS-CoV-2. It is encoded in a region of the genome called ORF3a, but the protein's structure and function are still unknown. If we knew how this protein folds, we might be able to figure out its exact function. The puzzle's starting structure shows SS predictions from PSIPRED, and hints which parts of the protein might fold into helices or sheets. Refold this protein to find high-scoring solutions, which will tell us how this protein is most likely to fold!

Design a binder against coronavirus! This puzzle is much like the Round 9 puzzle, but we've relaxed the restriction of ALA residues in helices and sheets. We think this may lead to better designs, so long as ALA residues are used in moderation. The Buried Unsats Objective is still in effect, and detects "unsatisfied" polar atoms that cannot make hydrogen bonds with the water surrounding the protein. If your designed protein creates Buried Unsats, then it will be less likely to fold and bind to the coronavirus target. (Note that this target protein includes 8 buried unsats that players may be unable to fix.) See the blog for more details about buried unsats, and for helpful tips to make a successful protein binder! Players will be unable to load solutions from previous puzzles.

Note: This puzzle replaces Puzzle 1841, which was accidentally posted with an incorrect sequence.

This is a throwback puzzle to the early days of Foldit. This domain is a component of many proteins involved in cell signaling. The protein is modeled here in reduced form, so no disulfides are expected to form. We are revisiting old Foldit puzzles so we can see how useful the recent additions to the game have been and to provide newer players with puzzles that are still scientifically relevant.

Note: This puzzle was originally posted with an incorrect sequence. It was closed early and replaced by Puzzle 1841b.

Design an anti-inflammatory protein for COVID-19! This puzzle uses the new Buried Unsats Objective to detect "unsatisfied" polar atoms that cannot make hydrogen bonds with the water surrounding the protein. If your designed protein creates Buried Unsats, then it will be less likely to fold and bind to the target. (Note that this target protein includes 15 buried unsats that players may be unable to fix.) See the blog for more details about buried unsats, and for helpful tips to make a successful protein binder! Players will be unable to load solutions from previous puzzles.

This is a throwback puzzle to the early days of Foldit. This small protein participates in electron transfer reactions in the cell. The protein is modeled here in reduced form, so no disulfides are expected to form. We are revisiting old Foldit puzzles so we can see how useful the recent additions to the game have been and to provide newer players with puzzles that are still scientifically relevant.

Fold this coronavirus protein! This is the tail portion of a larger protein encoded in the viral genome of SARS-CoV-2. It is encoded in a region of the genome called NSP2, but the protein's structure and function are still unknown. If we knew how this protein folds, we might be able to figure out its exact function. The puzzle's starting structure shows SS predictions from PSIPRED, and hints which parts of the protein might fold into helices or sheets. Refold this protein to find high-scoring solutions, which will tell us how this protein is most likely to fold!

Design a binder against coronavirus! This puzzle introduces a new objective: the Buried Unsats Objective detects "unsatisfied" polar atoms that cannot make hydrogen bonds with the water surrounding the protein. If your designed protein creates Buried Unsats, then it will be less likely to fold and bind to the coronavirus target. (Note that this target protein includes 8 buried unsats that players will be unable to fix.) See the blog for more details about buried unsats, and for helpful tips to make a successful protein binder! Players will be unable to load solutions from previous puzzles.