Foldit Puzzles

2378: CCHFV Protease Round 8

The Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is a life-threatening zoonotic disease caused by a tick-borne virus. Recent research has revealed the significant role of the viral-encoded Ovarian Tumor (OTU) deubiquitinase in the CCHFV replication process. Based on the most promising compounds, this puzzle will focus on getting an inhibitor for this protein. As the CCHFV-OTU protease interacts with another protein (ubiquitin), the interaction surface is quite large and superficial, making it a challenging binding pocket. For this round we will be focusing on the lower binding pocket. We have also adjusted the objectives to accommodate larger small molecules, as one of our goals is to inhibit protein-protein interactions. In many cases, such inhibitors possess a higher molecular weight. For more details check out the Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever blog post.

2377: Electron Density Reconstruction 65

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. There are two chains in this puzzle of the same sequence, but not all the segments may be visible in the density.

2376: Revisiting Puzzle 114: Black Mamba

This is a throwback puzzle to the early days of Foldit. This toxin is produced in the intestines of the African black mamba. The protein contains ten cysteines that oxidize to form five 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 puzzles that are still scientifically relevant.

2375: CCHFV Protease Round 7

The Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is a life-threatening zoonotic disease caused by a tick-borne virus. Recent research has revealed the significant role of the viral-encoded Ovarian Tumor (OTU) deubiquitinase in the CCHFV replication process. Based on the most promising compounds, this puzzle will focus on getting an inhibitor for this protein. As the CCHFV-OTU protease interacts with another protein (ubiquitin), the interaction surface is quite large and superficial, making it a challenging binding pocket. For this round we will be focusing on the upper binding pocket. We have also adjusted the objectives to accommodate larger small molecules, as one of our goals is to inhibit protein-protein interactions. In many cases, such inhibitors possess a higher molecular weight. For more details check out the Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever blog post.

2374: Electron Density Reconstruction 64

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. There are two chains in this puzzle of the same sequence, but not all the segments are visible in the density.

2373: Revisiting Puzzle 113: White Birch

This is a throwback puzzle to the early days of Foldit. This protein is an allergen produced by the white birch tree. 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 puzzles that are still scientifically relevant.

2372: CCHFV Protease Round 6

The Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is a life-threatening zoonotic disease caused by a tick-borne virus. Recent research has revealed the significant role of the viral-encoded Ovarian Tumor (OTU) deubiquitinase in the CCHFV replication process. Based on the most promising compounds, this puzzle will focus on getting an inhibitor for this protein. As the CCHFV-OTU protease interacts with another protein (ubiquitin), the interaction surface is quite large and superficial, making it a challenging binding pocket. For this round we will be focusing on the lower binding pocket. We have also adjusted the objectives to accommodate larger small molecules, as one of our goals is to inhibit protein-protein interactions. In many cases, such inhibitors possess a higher molecular weight. For more details check out the Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever blog post.

2371: Electron Density Reconstruction 63

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. There are two chains in this puzzle of the same sequence, but not all the segments are visible in the density.

2370: Revisiting Puzzle 112: Bovine

This is a throwback puzzle to the early days of Foldit. This particular protein is known as ubiquitin, and plays a prominent role in the protein degradation pathway. 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 puzzles that are still scientifically relevant.

2369: CCHFV Protease Round 5

The Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF) is a life-threatening zoonotic disease caused by a tick-borne virus. Recent research has revealed the significant role of the viral-encoded Ovarian Tumor (OTU) deubiquitinase in the CCHFV replication process. Based on the most promising compounds, this puzzle will focus on getting an inhibitor for this protein. As the CCHFV-OTU protease interacts with another protein (ubiquitin), the interaction surface is quite large and superficial, making it a challenging binding pocket. For this round we will be focusing on the lower binding pocket. For more details check out the Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever blog post.