Crystal structure of a monomeric retroviral protease solved by protein folding game players

Authors:
  • FGFoldit Contenders Group
    Foldit Contenders Group
  • FGFoldit Void Crushers Group
    Foldit Void Crushers Group
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Abstract
The online game Foldit invites players to solve problems involving protein structure prediction. Now Foldit players have been recruited to work on a modeling problem and ultimately solve the crystal structure of a retroviral protease that had resisted previous determination. Following the failure of a wide range of attempts to solve the crystal structure of M-PMV retroviral protease by molecular replacement, we challenged players of the protein folding game Foldit to produce accurate models of the protein. Remarkably, Foldit players were able to generate models of sufficient quality for successful molecular replacement and subsequent structure determination. The refined structure provides new insights for the design of antiretroviral drugs.

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