210: Hold Me Tightly

Closed since over 16 years ago

Summary

• Created: October 16, 2009
• Expires: October 21, 2009 at 10:30 UTC
• Max points: 100

Description

Sure, streptavadin has been the most popular biotin binding protein so far. However, we don't think it has to be that way and we want to knock biotin off its high horse. In this puzzle, we took a cellular retinoic-acid-binding protein and we are re-designing it to bind biotin instead of its native ligand. You will want to expand the hydrogen bonding network around the nitrogen containing end of biotin and pack the rest as best you can. The ligand score (obtained by pressing "tab" over the ligand) is a very good indicator of how well your ligand is bound. Bind biotin today, save the world tomorrow?

Top groups

• 1. Deleted group pts. 33,758
• 2. Contenders 82 pts. 31,100
• 3. Void Crushers 66 pts. 16,298
• 4. Richard Dawkins Foundation 53 pts. 16,066
• 5. Russian team 42 pts. 15,263
• 6. Deleted group pts. 14,020
• 7. Deleted group pts. 13,927
• 8. xkcd 20 pts. 12,900
• 9. Heroines 15 pts. 11,872
• 10. Ukraine 11 pts. 11,828

Top soloists

• 1. mcurtis 100 pts. 33,758
• 2. Judecca 98 pts. 26,026
• 3. feet1st 96 pts. 20,007
• 4. caglar 94 pts. 16,951
• 5. Milward 91 pts. 16,298
• 6. aap 89 pts. 16,066
• 7. vakobo 87 pts. 15,263
• 8. Deleted player pts. 14,043
• 9. infjamc 83 pts. 14,020
• 10. Deleted player 81 pts. 13,927

Comments

[Milward]

This puzzle doesnt work as you are allowed to add an arbitary number of segments. Make them into a helix and you just get a score as large as you want.

[austinday]

Oh, thanks for catching that! I'll swap it out on Wednesday with a fixed version since this puzzle is doubling as a homework assignment for an undergraduate class.

-Austin

[andyterror]

it is possible for me to keep my solution or start from beginning?

[austinday]

The next version of the puzzle will hopefully be much more refined. We're planning on creating a single puzzle that will have multiple scaffolds with the same ligand that you can basically flip through. We're going to be using the ligand energy as the only competitive score. All solutions from the current puzzle will be analyzed separately.

[Mark-]

So, is there any point in, those of us who made/are making a genuine attempt to find the best solution, carrying on with this puzzle.

I spent many hours trying to keep a top 3 position with, what I believe to be, a very promising structure. I now find myself in 14th place, and falling, with the prospect of having to redo all those hours just to get back to where I was before and with very little recognition for my previous efforts. Or, should I just join the 'Giant Helix Club' and get some more points on the board now?

[Deleted user]

I don't this puzzle should be scored at all.

Even without building the giant helix, the puzzle allowed insertion of residues anywhere and everywhere.
It plainly is a broken puzzle.

[Mark-]

I see the scores have been awarded and, like I said, those of us who made an attempt to solve the puzzle, in the spirit that it was intended, have been penalised for trying to do the right thing.

Very disappointed Admin

[austinday]

Yeah, sorry about the confusion. We're trying to figure out how to award the points in a way which would be fair. We'll fix that very soon. (Hopefully in the next 24 hours).

-Austin

[Mark-]

I don't think you will please everyone, whatever you do, but I'm sure a lot of people would appreciate a token gesture to acknowledge their efforts. I think we all understand it was a genuine mistake. Now, on to the next puzzle :)

Mark

[Deleted user]

You can't just throw out the giant helix solutions and score the rest.

There are many players who had high scoring solutions while following the spirit of the puzzle, but those solutions were surpassed when the helix silliness happened and the general thought was that the puzzle would be closed early and thrown away.

How would they get credit for their perfectly good solutions? If they get no score, they then become the injured parties.