Fold Commons

Class set · a print deck

FoldTrios

A deck to print and cut. Twelve proteins, three cards each: its string (the chain of amino acids), its shape (what AlphaFold predicts) and its job. Collect all three cards of a protein. Ages 9 and up.

How to play

  1. Two to six players. Shuffle and deal seven cards each. The rest is the pile.
  2. On your turn, ask one player for one card you need, by protein and kind: "Do you have the shape of Insulin?" You must already hold a card of that protein.
  3. If they have it, they hand it over and you ask again. If not, take one card from the pile, and the turn passes.
  4. When you hold the string, the shape and the job of one protein, lay the three down and read them out.
  5. The game ends when all twelve are down. Anyone can stop early: put your cards back in the pile and nothing is lost.

Printing gives this rules page and 4 card sheets (36 cards, nine to a sheet, A4 or Letter). Cut along the solid lines. For backs, glue the sheets to card or print on coloured paper.

the Sketcher's drawing Prediction Computed by a model, with how sure it is. Not an experiment.

That label is for the Shape cards: each strip is an AlphaFold prediction, not an experiment. Ink where AlphaFold's confidence is 70 or more, pencil where it is lower.

Insulin

String

110 amino acids long

It starts: M A L W M R L L P L L A

Each letter is one amino acid, as the gene spells them. UniProt P01308, Homo sapiens.

String · Shape · Job

Insulin

Shape

How sure AlphaFold is:

About half of it is very low; some of it is low; a little of it is confident.

14 of 110 in ink. AlphaFold DB v6, our copy of 2026-10-04. A prediction.

String · Shape · Job

Insulin

Job

Insulin is a signal your body sends out after you eat. It makes your cells take in sugar. Without it, sugar piles up in your blood.

String · Shape · Job

Hemoglobin (alpha)

String

142 amino acids long

It starts: M V L S P A D K T N V K

Each letter is one amino acid, as the gene spells them. UniProt P69905, Homo sapiens.

String · Shape · Job

Hemoglobin (alpha)

Shape

How sure AlphaFold is:

Almost all of it is very high.

141 of 142 in ink. AlphaFold DB v6, our copy of 2026-10-04. A prediction.

String · Shape · Job

Hemoglobin (alpha)

Job

Hemoglobin is the red stuff in your blood. Oxygen sticks to it in your lungs and comes off again out in your body.

String · Shape · Job

Green Fluorescent Protein

String

238 amino acids long

It starts: M S K G E E L F T G V V

Each letter is one amino acid, as the gene spells them. UniProt P42212, Aequorea victoria.

String · Shape · Job

Green Fluorescent Protein

Shape

How sure AlphaFold is:

Almost all of it is very high; a little of it is confident.

235 of 238 in ink. AlphaFold DB v6, our copy of 2026-10-04. A prediction.

String · Shape · Job

Green Fluorescent Protein

Job

This protein glows bright green under blue light. Scientists attach it to other proteins so they can see where those proteins are inside cells.

String · Shape · Job

Myoglobin

String

154 amino acids long

It starts: M G L S D G E W Q L V L

Each letter is one amino acid, as the gene spells them. UniProt P02144, Homo sapiens.

String · Shape · Job

Myoglobin

Shape

How sure AlphaFold is:

Almost all of it is very high.

153 of 154 in ink. AlphaFold DB v6, our copy of 2026-10-04. A prediction.

String · Shape · Job

Myoglobin

Job

Myoglobin sits in muscle and holds onto oxygen until your muscle needs a burst. It is why steak is red.

String · Shape · Job

Collagen

String

1464 amino acids long

It starts: M F S F V D L R L L L L

Each letter is one amino acid, as the gene spells them. UniProt P02452, Homo sapiens.

String · Shape · Job

Collagen

Shape

How sure AlphaFold is:

Most of it is very low; some of it is very high; a little of it is low.

286 of 1464 in ink. AlphaFold DB v6, our copy of 2026-10-04. A prediction.

String · Shape · Job

Collagen

Job

Collagen is the rope that holds your skin, tendons, and bones together. It is the most common protein in your body.

String · Shape · Job

Keratin

String

644 amino acids long

It starts: M S R Q F S S R S G Y R

Each letter is one amino acid, as the gene spells them. UniProt P04264, Homo sapiens.

String · Shape · Job

Keratin

Shape

How sure AlphaFold is:

About half of it is very low; some of it is very high; some of it is confident.

289 of 644 in ink. AlphaFold DB v6, our copy of 2026-10-04. A prediction.

String · Shape · Job

Keratin

Job

Keratin builds your hair, fingernails, and the top layer of your skin. It is tough because its chains stack tightly.

String · Shape · Job

Lysozyme

String

148 amino acids long

It starts: M K A L I V L G L V L L

Each letter is one amino acid, as the gene spells them. UniProt P61626, Homo sapiens.

String · Shape · Job

Lysozyme

Shape

How sure AlphaFold is:

Most of it is very high; a little of it is low.

133 of 148 in ink. AlphaFold DB v6, our copy of 2026-10-04. A prediction.

String · Shape · Job

Lysozyme

Job

Lysozyme is in your tears, spit, and snot. It pops open the walls of bacteria before they can make you sick.

String · Shape · Job

Trypsin

String

247 amino acids long

It starts: M N P L L I L T F V A A

Each letter is one amino acid, as the gene spells them. UniProt P07477, Homo sapiens.

String · Shape · Job

Trypsin

Shape

How sure AlphaFold is:

Most of it is very high; a little of it is confident.

223 of 247 in ink. AlphaFold DB v6, our copy of 2026-10-04. A prediction.

String · Shape · Job

Trypsin

Job

Trypsin lives in your small intestine. It snips proteins from food into smaller chunks your gut can use.

String · Shape · Job

Catalase

String

527 amino acids long

It starts: M A D S R D P A S D Q M

Each letter is one amino acid, as the gene spells them. UniProt P04040, Homo sapiens.

String · Shape · Job

Catalase

Shape

How sure AlphaFold is:

Almost all of it is very high.

500 of 527 in ink. AlphaFold DB v6, our copy of 2026-10-04. A prediction.

String · Shape · Job

Catalase

Job

Your cells make a chemical called hydrogen peroxide that can hurt them. Catalase chops it into water and oxygen, fast.

String · Shape · Job

Aquaporin-1

String

269 amino acids long

It starts: M A S E F K K K L F W R

Each letter is one amino acid, as the gene spells them. UniProt P29972, Homo sapiens.

String · Shape · Job

Aquaporin-1

Shape

How sure AlphaFold is:

Most of it is very high; a little of it is confident; a little of it is very low.

243 of 269 in ink. AlphaFold DB v6, our copy of 2026-10-04. A prediction.

String · Shape · Job

Aquaporin-1

Job

Aquaporins are water channels in the thin membrane around your cells. They let water rush in and out without letting salt or sugar through.

String · Shape · Job

Ferritin

String

183 amino acids long

It starts: M T T A S T S Q V R Q N

Each letter is one amino acid, as the gene spells them. UniProt P02794, Homo sapiens.

String · Shape · Job

Ferritin

Shape

How sure AlphaFold is:

Almost all of it is very high.

174 of 183 in ink. AlphaFold DB v6, our copy of 2026-10-04. A prediction.

String · Shape · Job

Ferritin

Job

Ferritin is a hollow ball that stores iron safely inside your cells until your body needs it.

String · Shape · Job

Firefly luciferase

String

550 amino acids long

It starts: M E D A K N I K K G P A

Each letter is one amino acid, as the gene spells them. UniProt P08659, Photinus pyralis.

String · Shape · Job

Firefly luciferase

Shape

How sure AlphaFold is:

Most of it is very high; some of it is confident.

536 of 550 in ink. AlphaFold DB v6, our copy of 2026-10-04. A prediction.

String · Shape · Job

Firefly luciferase

Job

Luciferase is the enzyme that makes a firefly's tail glow. It uses ATP fuel to turn a chemical called luciferin into light.

String · Shape · Job

Honest notes

Sources