Placeholder image of a protein
Icon representing a puzzle

Beginner Puzzle (<150): Coronavirus

Closed since almost 6 years ago

Beginner Beginner

Summary

Created
March 03, 2020
Expires
Max points
100
Description

Design a protein binder against coronavirus! The starting structure shows how the coronavirus spike protein binds to a human receptor protein. The coronavirus protein (in gray) is mostly frozen, except for the orange and blue sidechains at the binding site. The binding site of coronavirus sticks to the human protein (in color), and this allows the coronavirus to infect human cells. We want to design a new protein that can bind to coronavirus more tightly than the human protein! A tight binder could block the normal coronavirus-human interaction, and might be used as an antiviral drug against coronavirus! Refold and mutate the starting structure to increase your score and improve binding against coronavirus!



START HERE:

If you are new to Foldit, here are detailed instructions to get you started:

http://fold.it/portal/node/988864

_____________________________


If you want to fold proteins, know that there are many ways to play and this variety is the main value of Foldit :

- try all puzzles not only "Beginners" ones,

- fold first the ones you like the most,

- try it by yourself to understand what works and what doesn't,

- ask for tips in global chat when you think you don't understand something.

Top groups

  1. Avatar for SETI.Germany 21. SETI.Germany 39 pts. 13,195
  2. Avatar for SOU Biochemistry CH455 (2020) 22. SOU Biochemistry CH455 (2020) 37 pts. 13,194
  3. Avatar for The Daydreamers 23. The Daydreamers 35 pts. 13,193
  4. Avatar for Wabash College Biochemistry 24. Wabash College Biochemistry 33 pts. 13,184
  5. Avatar for Segment is locked 25. Segment is locked 31 pts. 13,178
  6. Avatar for Hold My Beer 26. Hold My Beer 30 pts. 13,158
  7. Avatar for Penny-Arcade 27. Penny-Arcade 28 pts. 13,152
  8. Avatar for ICSP Bio 2020 2 28. ICSP Bio 2020 2 26 pts. 13,142
  9. Avatar for Chem420-EC 29. Chem420-EC 25 pts. 13,131
  10. Avatar for BIOL 4030 Winter 2020 30. BIOL 4030 Winter 2020 24 pts. 13,129
  1. Avatar for woodfung 7771. woodfung Lv 1 1 pt. 11,753
  2. Avatar for RandomizeWang 7772. RandomizeWang Lv 1 1 pt. 11,753
  3. Avatar for Benjymack 7773. Benjymack Lv 1 1 pt. 11,753
  4. Avatar for DOSJack 7774. DOSJack Lv 1 1 pt. 11,753
  5. Avatar for Icearstorm 7775. Icearstorm Lv 1 1 pt. 11,753
  6. Avatar for Masa888 7776. Masa888 Lv 1 1 pt. 11,753
  7. Avatar for Fairall 7777. Fairall Lv 1 1 pt. 11,753
  8. Avatar for twisted_deeds 7778. twisted_deeds Lv 1 1 pt. 11,753
  9. Avatar for RazzMattazz 7779. RazzMattazz Lv 1 1 pt. 11,753
  10. Avatar for Ecnom 7780. Ecnom Lv 1 1 pt. 11,753

Comments

bkoep Staff Lv 1

The solutions from this Beginner puzzle are incompatible with other non-Beginner puzzles,. Players may not load solutions from this puzzle into other coronavirus puzzles.