Foldit Puzzles

2567: Electron Density Reconstruction 106

The structure of this protein has already been solved and published, but close inspection suggests that there are some problems with the published solution. We'd like to see if Foldit players can use the same electron density data to reconstruct a better model. It's a bit large, so we would recommend the trim tool on this one. There's also several bits of the chain missing that are apparent in the sequence.

2564: Revisiting Puzzle 92: Bacteria

This is a throwback puzzle to the early days of Foldit. In the struggle for limited resources, some strains of the bacteria E. coli produce a potent toxin to fight off competing strains. This small immunity protein protects the aggressor E. coli from falling victim to its own toxin. We are revisiting old Foldit puzzles so we can see how useful the recent additions to the game have been, and to provide newer players with easier puzzles that are still scientifically relevant.

2566: KCNT1 Round 8

KCNT1 is a sodium-activated potassium channel that critically influences how neurons fire. When functioning normally, KCNT1 helps maintain a healthy balance of electrical signaling in the brain. However, mutations in the KCNT1 gene can lead to a range of severe epileptic conditions such as Malignant Migrating Partial Seizures of Infancy (MMPSI).

2563: Electron Density Reconstruction 105

We're going to take a break from the Refine Density puzzles to do another more old-fashioned Reconstruction puzzle. The structure of this protein has already been solved and published, but close inspection suggests that there are some problems with the published solution. We'd like to see if Foldit players can use the same electron density data to reconstruct a better model. It's a bit large, so we would recommend the trim tool on this one.

2565: Revisiting Puzzle 91: Virus Protein

This is a throwback puzzle to the early days of Foldit. This protein is found on the surface of bacteriophage fd, a virus that infects E. coli. It is responsible for penetrating the cell membrane of the host bacteria, allowing virus to enter the cell. 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, and to provide newer players with easier puzzles that are still scientifically relevant.

2562: KCNT1 Round 7

KCNT1 is a sodium-activated potassium channel that critically influences how neurons fire. When functioning normally, KCNT1 helps maintain a healthy balance of electrical signaling in the brain. However, mutations in the KCNT1 gene can lead to a range of severe epileptic conditions such as Malignant Migrating Partial Seizures of Infancy (MMPSI).

2560: Electron Density Reconstruction 104

We're going to take a break from the Refine Density puzzles to do a more old-fashioned Reconstruction puzzle. The structure of this protein has already been solved and published, but close inspection suggests that there are some problems with the published solution. We'd like to see if Foldit players can use the same electron density data to reconstruct a better model. It's rather large, so we definitely recommend the trim tool on this one. There's also a number of residues missing in this particular case.

2561: Revisiting Puzzle 90: Heliomicin

This is a throwback puzzle to the early days of Foldit. This small disulfide-rich protein is produced by the moth H. virescens as a defense against certain bacterial and fungal infections. This protein contains six cysteines that oxidize to form three disulfide bonds. We are revisiting old Foldit puzzles so we can see how useful the recent additions to the game have been.

2559: KCNT1 Round 6

KCNT1 is a sodium-activated potassium channel that critically influences how neurons fire. When functioning normally, KCNT1 helps maintain a healthy balance of electrical signaling in the brain. However, mutations in the KCNT1 gene can lead to a range of severe epileptic conditions such as Malignant Migrating Partial Seizures of Infancy (MMPSI).

2557: Refine Density Reconstruction 19

This is a protein we've given before in puzzle 2391, which was Reconstruction Puzzle 69, but now we have the Refine Density tool available to make folds even better! There's two chains here of the same thing, but both are missing a few residues that are slightly different.