Foldit Puzzles

2488: KCNQ1 Round 5

KCNQ1 is a critical gene that helps regulate the heart's rhythm by encoding the Kv7.1 potassium ion channel. Mutations in KCNQ1 can cause congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS), an inherited heart condition that increases the risk of sudden cardiac death, especially in young people. In this puzzle, your challenge is to design a new activator for KCNQ1 that can restore function in variants linked to LQTS. For this puzzle we're going to switch up the task just a little. Now we want to target the Voltage Sensing Domain (VSD) of KCNQ1. It has been found that mutations to the VSD affect how effectively a protein is transported from its site of synthesis to the plasma membrane also known as trafficking. See blog post for more details, but note that we are looking at a different target site for KCNQ1 for this puzzle.

2487: Electron Density Reconstruction 99

The structure of this protein-DNA complex 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. Previously, we had a puzzle in which there was a Hoogsteen base pair in this structure, but now it has a Watson-Crick base pair instead. Also, a useful note for working with DNA: DNA sidechains can be turned relative to their blue arms with bands.

2486: Revisiting Puzzle 66: Cytochrome

This is a throwback puzzle to the early days of Foldit. This protein helps to transfer electrons between substrates in bacteria. The protein is modeled here in reducing conditions, and no disulfides are expected to form. We are revisiting old Foldit puzzles so we can see how useful the recent additions to the game have been.

2485: KCNQ1 Round 4

KCNQ1 is a critical gene that helps regulate the heart's rhythm by encoding the Kv7.1 potassium ion channel. Mutations in KCNQ1 can cause congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS), an inherited heart condition that increases the risk of sudden cardiac death, especially in young people. In this puzzle, your challenge is to design a new activator for KCNQ1 that can restore function in variants linked to LQTS. For this puzzle we're going to switch up the task just a little. Now we want to target the Voltage Sensing Domain (VSD) of KCNQ1. It has been found that mutations to the VSD affect how effectively a protein is transported from its site of synthesis to the plasma membrane also known as trafficking. See blog post for more details, but note that we are looking at a different target site for KCNQ1 for this puzzle.

2484: Electron Density Reconstruction 98

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. For this first round of this puzzle, we won't have the Refine Density tool active. There are a few chunks of segments on this puzzle that are missing.

2483: Revisiting Puzzle 64: Thioredoxin

This is a throwback puzzle to the early days of Foldit. This human protein helps to regulate the reduction potential of the cell, and should be modeled here in reduced form (with no disulfide bonds). We are revisiting old Foldit puzzles so we can see how useful the recent additions to the game have been.

2482: KCNQ1 Round 3

KCNQ1 is a critical gene that helps regulate the heart's rhythm by encoding the Kv7.1 potassium ion channel. Mutations in KCNQ1 can cause congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS), an inherited heart condition that increases the risk of sudden cardiac death, especially in young people. In this puzzle, your challenge is to design a new activator for KCNQ1 that can restore function in variants linked to LQTS. For this puzzle we're going to switch up the task just a little. Now we want to target the Voltage Sensing Domain (VSD) of KCNQ1. It has been found that mutations to the VSD affect how effectively a protein is transported from its site of synthesis to the plasma membrane also known as trafficking. See blog post for more details, but note that we are looking at a different target site for KCNQ1 for this puzzle.

2480: Electron Density Reconstruction 97

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. For this first round of this puzzle, we won't have the Refine Density tool active. There are a few chunks of segments on this puzzle that are missing.

2479: Revisiting Puzzle 63: Spinach Protein

This is a throwback puzzle to the early days of Foldit. This spinach protein is critical for photosynthesis, and participates in the electron transfer chain within the chloroplast. The protein is modeled here in the reduced state, so no disulfides are expected to form. We are revisiting old Foldit puzzles so we can see how useful the recent additions to the game have been.

2478: KCNQ1 Round 2

KCNQ1 is a critical gene that helps regulate the heart's rhythm by encoding the Kv7.1 potassium ion channel. Mutations in KCNQ1 can cause congenital long QT syndrome (LQTS), an inherited heart condition that increases the risk of sudden cardiac death, especially in young people. In this puzzle, your challenge is to design a new activator for KCNQ1 that can restore function in variants linked to LQTS.