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1455: Aflatoxin Challenge: Round 4 with Insertions

Closed since over 8 years ago

Intermediate Overall Design

Summary

Created
November 29, 2017
Expires
Max points
100
Description

This is the fourth puzzle of our Aflatoxin Challenge; now players may insert and delete residues in solutions from the previous Round 3 puzzle. Aflatoxins are a class of poisonous compounds that contaminate a significant portion of the global food supply. In this puzzle, players are challenged to redesign an enzyme that could break down aflatoxin molecules. The majority of the protein is frozen, with the aflatoxin ligand fixed in a binding pocket. Surrounding the binding pocket are a number of loops that might be redesigned without affecting the folding stability of the protein. In these loops, players may manipulate the protein backbone and mutate the residue sidechains. Players may add up to 20 additional residues within these loops, at a cost of 16 points per residue. Players may load in solutions from Puzzle 1450.



This puzzle is part of our Aflatoxin Challenge, sponsored by Mars Inc. and Thermo Fisher Scientific. Promising designs will be tested by the Siegel Lab at UC Davis. By participating in the challenge/game, the players agree that all player designs will be available permanently in the public domain, and the players will not seek intellectual property protection over the designs created as part of the challenge/game.

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Comments

Bruno Kestemont Lv 1

I didn't want to play this puzzle but now that I finished puzzle 1454, there is no choice left.

Please give us at least 3 puzzles to play so that we have some choice.

Susume Lv 1

I did a stream on Twitch yesterday which is available as a video at www.twitch.tv/Susume2 . It gives several different ideas of ways to modify the enzyme. It's a long video, but you can click the gear icon at the bottom right and set the speed to play faster.

jeff101 Lv 1

What will happen when Puzzle 1455 ends?
Will there be a blog/video/chat giving
us feedback about Rounds 1-4 before
Aflatoxin Round 5 is posted? Will
Round 5 be like Rounds 1 & 3 but with
a 3rd orientation for the Aflatoxin?

jeff101 Lv 1

Will Round 5 be like Round 2, where we can import solutions from Rounds 1 & 2? Will Round 5 be a multi-start puzzle, using a handful of the Foldit Team's favorite solutions from Rounds 1 & 2 as starting structures to choose from?