Protein Follding Challenge Game for Cell Phones

Protein Folding Challenge Game

This game is designed to help you to practice learning the properties of different amino acids and how they fold into proteins.

It is based on the Protein Investigator and has been developed by Brian White at the University of Massachusetts, Boston.

This game requires only that your cell phone have a connection to the internet.

This game can also be run on any computer's web browser.

How do I get to game on my cell phone?

You either click on this link or enter this url into your cell phone's web-browser:
http://intro.bio.umb.edu/wml/pfc.htm

How does it work?

The game presents you with a list of Target Shapes. You select one and design a protein sequence that will fold into that shape. You submit your sequence to our server and it folds the protein, shows you it's structure, and tells you if you've gotten it correct. Each protein has a par to indicate how many attempts it should take you to match the shape.

For more details on the folding algorithm and the game itself, see the Protein Investigator web site.

Since this game requires contact with our server, you need a consistent connection to the internet and each submission requires a data transfer which takes time and may cost you a few cents depending on your cell phone plan.

How do I use it?

First, go to the web site shown above. This process differs on different phones.

1) You should see a welcome screen like this. The details will vary depending on the particular phone you have.

You can read the instructions; they are the same as on this page.

Click "Start Game" to continue.

2) You should see a list of Target Shapes for you to choose from.

The shapes vary from simple to more complex.

Click the button for the Target Shape you want to try.

3) You should see this screen.

This shows the 20 amino acids, their single-letter code abbreviations and their properties:

Shading indicates hydrophobicity; the darker, the more hydrophobic.

Amino acids with positively-charged side chains are blue.

Amino acids with negatively-charged side chains are red.

Amino acids with side chains that can form hydrogen bonds are green.

Once you have decided the sequence that will fold to match the Target Shape use your cell phone's keyboard to enter the single-letter codes for the amino acids.

Click the "SUBMIT" button to have your sequence folded and see if it's shape matches the Target Shape.

4) You should then see the result screen.

The shape of the protein is shown.

For details of the folding algorithm, see the Protein Investigator web site.

You can continue until you have matched all the shapes.

If you are interested in more information, contact Brian White.

1) You should see a welcome screen like this. The details will vary depending on the particular phone you have. You can read the instructions; they are the same as on this page. Click "Start Game" to continue.
2) You should see a list of Target Shapes for you to choose from. The shapes vary from simple to more complex. Click the button for the Target Shape you want to try.
3) You should see this screen. This shows the 20 amino acids, their single-letter code abbreviations and their properties: Shading indicates hydrophobicity; the darker, the more hydrophobic. Amino acids with positively-charged side chains are blue. Amino acids with negatively-charged side chains are red. Amino acids with side chains that can form hydrogen bonds are green. Once you have decided the sequence that will fold to match the Target Shape use your cell phone's keyboard to enter the single-letter codes for the amino acids. Click the "SUBMIT" button to have your sequence folded and see if it's shape matches the Target Shape.
4) You should then see the result screen. The shape of the protein is shown. For details of the folding algorithm, see the Protein Investigator web site. You can continue until you have matched all the shapes.