5.3.2 Foldit

Foldit yog qhov kev ua si ntawm cov protein-folding uas ua rau cov kws kho mob tsis koom nrog txoj kev lom zem.

Netflix nqi zog, thaum tawm suab thiab meej, tsis qhia txog ntau yam ntawm kev qhib hu haujlwm. Piv txwv, hauv Netflix Prize feem ntau ntawm cov neeg koom nrog coob tau kawm ntau xyoo ntawm kev txheeb xyuas thiab tshuab kev kawm. Tab sis, cov lus qhib qhib hu ua kuj tuaj yeem koom nrog cov neeg uas tsis muaj kev kawm tiav, raws li tau piav qhia los ntawm Foldit, qhov kev ua si ntawm cov khoom ua si.

Protein folding yog tus txheej txheem los ntawm kev siv cov amino acids yuav siv nws cov duab. Nrog kev nkag siab zoo ntawm txoj kev no, biologists yuav tsim cov khoom muaj protein ntau nrog cov qauv uas siv tau los ua cov tshuaj. Yooj yim me ntsis, proteins yuav tsiv mus rau lawv qhov qis zog-qis zog, tus qauv uas ua rau ntau lub nrooj thiab rub tawm hauv cov protein (duab 5.7). Yog li, yog tias tus kws tshawb fawb xav twv seb hom khoom twg yuav ua rau cov kua qoob loo zoo li cas, lub suab yoojyim yoojyim: sim sim ua txhua yam teeb meem, xam cov energy, thiab twv seb cov kua qaub yuav ua rau lub zog qis tshaj plaws. Hmoov tsis, sim tau txhua yam kev tsim nyog yog kev sib piv tsis tau vim tias muaj cov billions thiab billions ntawm cov neeg muaj peev xwm. Txawm nrog cov computers muaj hwj chim tshaj plaws niaj hnub no-thiab nyob rau yav tom ntej-lub zog quab yuam yog cia li tsis mus ua haujlwm. Vim li no, biologists tau tsim ntau yam ntse algorithms rau kev nrhav kev tshawb nrhiav qhov qis-zog configuration. Tab sis, txawm tias muaj nyiaj ntau heev ntawm kev tshawb fawb thiab kev ntaus nqi, cov algorithms no tseem nyob deb ntawm zoo meej.

Daim duab 5.7: Protein folding. Image courtesy ntawm "Drkjaergaard" / Wikimedia Commons .

David Baker thiab nws cov pab pawg tshawb fawb hauv University of Washington yog ib feem ntawm lub zej zog ntawm cov kws tshawb fawb ua hauj lwm los tsim cov lej lej ntawm protein ntau folding. Nyob rau hauv ib qhov project, Baker thiab cov npoj yaig tsim tau ib txoj hauv kev uas pub dawb rau cov neeg tsis tuaj yeem pub dawb rau lawv lub computer los pab simulation protein folding. Ua ntej, cov neeg tuaj pab dawb tuaj yeem saib xyuas ib qho kev ntsuam xyuas pom tias muaj protein ntau folding uas tshwm sim hauv lawv lub computer. Muaj ntau tus neeg tuaj yeem sau ntawv mus rau Baker thiab cov npoj yaig hais tias lawv xav tias lawv yuav ua tau zoo dua hauv lub computer qhov kev ua tau zoo yog tias lawv tuaj yeem koom nrog qhov kev xam pom. Thiab pib Foldit (Hand 2010) .

Foldit xa cov txheej txheem ntawm protein folding rau hauv kev ua si uas tuaj yeem ua si los ntawm leej twg. Los ntawm cov kev xav ntawm cov neeg uas ua ntawv, Foldit zoo nkaus li yog ib tug puzzle (daim duab 5.8). Cov neeg uas tuaj koom nrog ib lub voj voos ntawm peb lub voj voos thiab muaj peev xwm ua tau haujlwm- "tweak," "wiggle," "rebuild" - hloov nws cov duab. Los ntawm kev ua cov haujlwm no players hloov qhov zoo ntawm cov khoom muaj protein, uas tshwm sim los nce lossis txo lawv cov qhab nia. Tawm tsam, tus qhab nia yog xam raws li lub zog ntawm qhov teeb meem tam sim no; qis-zog kev txuam nrog cov qhab nias dua. Ua lwm yam lus, qhov txiaj ntsim pab coj tus cwj pwm coj raws li lawv tshawb nrhiav qis dua kev ruaj ntseg. Qhov kev ua si no tsuas yog ua tau zoo xwb vim tias-tsuas yog nyiam twv zaj duab xis hauv Netflix Prize-protein folding tseem yog ib qho teeb meem uas nws yooj yim los xyuas cov kev daws teeb meem dua.

Daim duab 5.8: Kev ua si rau Foldit. Sau dua los ntawm kev tso cai los ntawm http://www.fold.it.

Foldit 's elegant design enables cov players nrog me ntsis paub txog biochemistry los lwv nrog qhov zoo tshaj plaws algorithms tsim los ntawm cov kws txawj. Thaum cov tub ntxhais feem coob tsis zoo ntawm txoj hauj lwm, nws muaj ob peb tug neeg thiab me me ntawm cov players uas muaj qhov tshwj xeeb. Qhov tseeb, hauv kev sib tw ntawm Head-to-Head ntawm Foldit players thiab xeev-of-tus-kos duab algorithms, cov players tau tsim zoo dua rau 5 tawm ntawm 10 proteins (Cooper et al. 2010) .

Foldit thiab Netflix nqi zog txawv hauv ntau txoj hauv kev, tab sis ob leeg koom nrog qhib hu rau cov kev daws teeb meem uas yooj yim dua los ua cov haujlwm. Tam sim no, peb yuav pom cov qauv qub nyob hauv lwm qhov chaw sib txawv: tsab cai lij choj patent. Qhov pivtxwv zaum kawg ntawm kev hu xov tooj hu ua teeb meem qhia tau tias qhov kev qhia no tseem siv tau rau hauv cov tsev kawm ntawv uas tsis muaj tseeb txaus rau cov nqi ntsuas.