Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA.
Nat Commun. 2016 Sep 16;7:12549. doi: 10.1038/ncomms12549.
We show here that computer game players can build high-quality crystal structures. Introduction of a new feature into the computer game Foldit allows players to build and real-space refine structures into electron density maps. To assess the usefulness of this feature, we held a crystallographic model-building competition between trained crystallographers, undergraduate students, Foldit players and automatic model-building algorithms. After removal of disordered residues, a team of Foldit players achieved the most accurate structure. Analysing the target protein of the competition, YPL067C, uncovered a new family of histidine triad proteins apparently involved in the prevention of amyloid toxicity. From this study, we conclude that crystallographers can utilize crowdsourcing to interpret electron density information and to produce structure solutions of the highest quality.
我们在此展示，电脑游戏玩家能够构建高质量的晶体结构。在电脑游戏 Foldit 中引入一项新功能，使得玩家可以构建并在实空间中精修晶体结构，直至其电子密度图符合要求。为了评估这一功能的有效性，我们在训练有素的晶体学家、本科生、Foldit 玩家和自动建模算法之间举行了一场晶体学模型构建竞赛。在去除无规残基后，一支 Foldit 玩家团队构建的结构最为准确。分析竞赛的目标蛋白 YPL067C，揭示了一类新的组氨酸三聚体蛋白家族，它们显然与预防淀粉样毒性有关。通过这项研究，我们得出结论，晶体学家可以利用众包来解读电子密度信息，并生成最高质量的结构解决方案。
