Foldit

1766: TIM Barrel Redesign: Symmetric Trimer

Closed since over 6 years ago

Summary

Created: November 28, 2019
Expires: December 05, 2019 at 23:00 UTC
Max points: 100

Description

Redesign a TIM barrel protein with symmetry! We're looking for Foldit players' help in redesigning a well-behaved monomeric protein, so that it self-assembles into a trimer with C3 symmetry. The starting structure is a large (184 residue) protein previously designed in the Baker Lab. Players should bring the three symmetric units into contact, and redesign the interface between units. We expect the monomer unit may need to change shape slightly to make a good interface, so the backbone is flexible and all positions can be redesigned. In nature, proteins with this kind of fold (called a TIM barrel) are frequently found as symmetric complexes. We'd like to see if we can turn this designed TIM barrel into a symmetric complex, but this is a difficult problem for our computer programs in the Baker Lab. We think Foldit players can help!