Foldit Puzzles

2358: Revisiting Puzzle 97: Pig

This is a throwback puzzle to the early days of Foldit. This saposin protein from pig serves as an activator for lipid-desolving enzymes. 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 and to provide newer players with puzzles that are still scientifically relevant.

2357: CCHFV Protease Round 4

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. For more details check out the Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever blog post.

2356: Electron Density Reconstruction 58

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 copies of the same protein chain in this structure.

2355: Revisiting Puzzle 96: Collagen

This is a throwback puzzle to the early days of Foldit. This small domain is a component of the collagen that forms the connective tissue beneath your skin! 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 and to provide newer players with puzzles that are still scientifically relevant.

2354: CCHFV Protease Round 3

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.

2353: Electron Density Reconstruction 57 (with DNA!)

This puzzle is a bit different than previous Reconstruction puzzles. Like others, the structure of this protein has already been solved and published, and 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. The difference is that in addition to a protein in this puzzle, the protein is bound to DNA! So we're curious if Foldit players can improve both the protein and the DNA using the electron density. Not every tool that works well with proteins also works with DNA, so this might take a bit more time to figure out strategy.

2352: 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 and to provide newer players with puzzles that are still scientifically relevant.

2351: CACHE SARS helicase followup: Round 4

Compete in a challenge to design a drug targeting the SARS-CoV-2 helicase. Use the small molecule design tools and the compound library panel to find library compounds similar to the starting compound which bind to the active site of the enzyme.

2350: Electron Density Reconstruction 56

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 four copies of the same protein chain in this structure.

2349: 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 and to provide newer players with easier puzzles that are still scientifically relevant.