Foldit Puzzles

1366: Electron Density Practice: Cell Surface Marker

Note: This puzzle was posted with an incorrect sequence and closed early. It is superseded by Puzzle 1366b.

1366b: Electron Density Practice: Cell Surface Marker

Note: This puzzle replaces Puzzle 1366, which was originally posted with an incorrect sequence.

1365: Revisiting Puzzle 95: Chicken

This is a throwback puzzle to the early days of Foldit. Signals from the nervous system induce Ca²⁺ release within muscle cells. This muscle protein, which normally inhibits muscle contraction, changes shape in the presence of Ca²⁺ to allow muscle contraction. We are revisiting old Foldit puzzles so we can see how useful the recent additions to the game have been.

1364: Variable Length Monomer Design: Helix Restrictions

This design puzzle is meant to give players more freedom to adjust the length of their solutions. We've tuned the Residue Count Filter so that solutions of all different lengths should score competitively—that is, we expect a good 70-residue design to score just as well as a good 90-residue design. The starting structure includes 65 residues, but players may use up to 100. See the puzzle comments for filter details. The Baker Lab will run folding predictions on your solutions for this puzzle, and those that perform well will be synthesized in the lab. Remember, you can use the Upload for Scientists button for up to 5 designs that you want us to look at, even if they are not the best-scoring solutions!

1363: Unsolved De-novo Freestyle: Predicted Contacts

This is a follow-up puzzle for Puzzle 1360, now with Predicted Contacts to help guide your folding! See the blog for information on using the contact map. You can see the predicted contacts for this protein by clicking the Contact Map button in the Main menu (Selection Interface) or in the Actions tab (Classic Interface). You will notice that different contacts are shown in different shades of green, with brighter green contacts indicating stronger predictions. Players will be able to load in manual saves from Puzzle 1360 and use them as a starting point here.

1362: Revisiting Puzzle 94: Mouse

This is a throwback puzzle to the early days of Foldit. This protein recruits components of the immune system, and normally keeps white blood cells concentrated in the lymph nodes. However, it also plays a part in the inflammatory response, when immune cells are required to fight an infection. This protein contains four cysteines that oxidize to form two disulfide bonds. We are revisiting old Foldit puzzles so we can see how useful the recent additions to the game have been.

1361: Variable Length Monomer Design: Helix Restrictions

This design puzzle is meant to give players more freedom to adjust the length of their solutions. We've tuned the Residue Count Filter so that solutions of all different lengths should score competitively—that is, we expect a good 70-residue design to score just as well as a good 90-residue design. The starting structure includes 65 residues, but players may use up to 100. See the puzzle comments for filter details. The Baker Lab will run folding predictions on your solutions for this puzzle, and those that perform well will be synthesized in the lab. Remember, you can use the Upload for Scientists button for up to 5 designs that you want us to look at, even if they are not the best-scoring solutions!

1360: Unsolved De-novo Freestyle 103

The structure of this protein is still unknown. Secondary structure predictions (from PSIPRED) are marked on the starting structure, and provide clues about where the protein might form helices and sheets!

1359: Revisiting Puzzle 93: Spider Toxin

This is a throwback puzzle to the early days of Foldit. This small toxin is produced from the funnel-web spider A. aperta, and induces paralysis in insects by blocking calcium channels. This protein contains eight cysteines that oxidize to form four disulfide bonds. We are revisiting old Foldit puzzles so we can see how useful the recent additions to the game have been.

1358: 70 Residue Monomer Design: Helix Restrictions

This puzzle is similar to recent design puzzles except that we've restricted the use of SER and THR residues in α-helices. Foldit players have submitted some stellar-looking designs recently, but we are seeing quite a lot of SER and THR residues in designed helices. Recent experiments in our lab suggest that these residues are somewhat unfavorable in helices, so in this puzzle we've restricted the use of SER and THR in helical positions. See the puzzle comments for filter details. The Baker Lab will run folding predictions on your solutions for this puzzle, and those that perform well will be synthesized in the lab. Remember, you can use the Upload for Scientists button for up to 5 designs that you want us to look at, even if they are not the best-scoring solutions!