Foldit Puzzles

2230: Revisiting Puzzle 55: Scorpion Toxin

This is a throwback puzzle to the early days of Foldit. This scorpion toxin binds to voltage-gated ion channels in insects, resulting in full-body paralysis. The protein contains eight cysteine residues 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 and to provide newer players with problems that are still scientifically relevant.

Design of the Month: November 2022

This sandbox puzzle features a cAMP ligand binder design by ichwilldiesennamen from Puzzle 2211. This protein design does a great job of making H-bonds to satisfy buried polar atoms on the cAMP ligand target. For more, check out the latest Foldit Lab Report on YouTube! This sandbox puzzle is non-competitive and will not award any points.

2229: Monkeypox H3 Binder Design: Round 7

Design a protein that can bind to the monkeypox H3 target! AlphaFold predictions are available for your designed binder. Once you've designed a binder for the target, upload your solution for AlphaFold using the AlphaFold prediction tool. AlphaFold will predict the structure of your binder chain only (i.e. in the unbound state, in the absence of the target). If you load this prediction, then Foldit will attempt to align the prediction with your solution (i.e. in the bound state, making an interface with the target). If you continue working off of the AlphaFold prediction, you may need to make adjustments at the interface where the binder interacts with the target.

2228: cAMP Ligand Binder Design: Round 4

Design a binding pocket for the cAMP ligand! This puzzle enables AlphaFold predictions for your binder design, so you can upload your solution for AlphaFold using the AlphaFold prediction tool. AlphaFold will predict the structure of your binder only (i.e. in the absence of the ligand). If you load this prediction, then Foldit will attempt to align the prediction with your solution. We are looking for designs where the raw AlphaFold prediction has a binding pocket that fits the ligand!

2227: Electron Density Reconstruction 17

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.

2226: BMPR Binder Design: Round 3

Design a protein that can bind to the BMPR target! AlphaFold predictions are available for your designed binder. Once you've designed a binder for the target, upload your solution for AlphaFold using the AlphaFold prediction tool. AlphaFold will predict the structure of your binder chain only (i.e. in the unbound state, in the absence of the target). If you load this prediction, then Foldit will attempt to align the prediction with your solution (i.e. in the bound state, making an interface with the target). If you continue working off of the AlphaFold prediction, you may need to make adjustments at the interface where the binder interacts with the target.

2225: SARS-CoV-2 helicase CACHE Challenge: Round 8

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 which bind to the active site of the enzyme.

2224: Electron Density Reconstruction 16

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.

2223: cAMP Ligand Binder Design: Round 3

Design a binding pocket for the cAMP ligand! This puzzle enables AlphaFold predictions for your binder design, so you can upload your solution for AlphaFold using the AlphaFold prediction tool. AlphaFold will predict the structure of your binder only (i.e. in the absence of the ligand). If you load this prediction, then Foldit will attempt to align the prediction with your solution. We are looking for designs where the raw AlphaFold prediction has a binding pocket that fits the ligand!

2222: SARS-CoV-2 helicase CACHE Challenge: Round 7

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 which bind to the active site of the enzyme.