Collections · six before school
Six Before School
Before 8 a.m. you have already met these six proteins. For each one: guess first by tapping an answer, then see what is true. Under each one is AlphaFold's model of the chain: ink where the model is sure, pencil where it is less sure.
the Sketcher's drawing Prediction Computed by a model, with how sure it is. Not an experiment.
1 of 6 · Your eye
Rhodopsin
Your eye has a protein for seeing in dim light. What does it catch?
2 of 6 · Your spit
Alpha-amylase 1A
Chew bread for a long time and it starts to taste sweet. Why?
3 of 6 · Egg white
Lysozyme C
Egg white holds a protein called lysozyme. What does it cut?
4 of 6 · Milk
Alpha-S1-casein
Milk looks white. What makes it white?
5 of 6 · Bread dough
Glutenin, high molecular weight subunit DX5
Knead dough and it gets stretchy. What makes it stretch?
6 of 6 · Your blood
Hemoglobin subunit beta
The picture is one of haemoglobin's four chains. How many oxygen molecules can a whole haemoglobin carry at once?
Also at breakfast
Chilli: Transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1
TRPV1 is a channel in nerve cells that opens with heat and with capsaicin, the hot molecule in chilli. That is why chilli feels hot.
Mint: Transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily M member 8
TRPM8 is a channel in nerve cells that opens with cool temperatures and with menthol from mint. That is why mint feels cool.
The placemat
Print this page and only the placemat comes out (A4 or Letter). Stamp or tick each circle on a day you meet that protein.
Six proteins I met before school
Your eye
Rhodopsin
Your eye has a protein for seeing in dim light. What does it catch?
Your spit
Alpha-amylase 1A
Chew bread for a long time and it starts to taste sweet. Why?
Egg white
Lysozyme C
Egg white holds a protein called lysozyme. What does it cut?
Milk
Alpha-S1-casein
Milk looks white. What makes it white?
Bread dough
Glutenin, high molecular weight subunit DX5
Knead dough and it gets stretchy. What makes it stretch?
Your blood
Hemoglobin subunit beta
The picture is one of haemoglobin's four chains. How many oxygen molecules can a whole haemoglobin carry at once?
foldcommons.org/collections/before-school · AlphaFold DB models, a prediction, not an experiment.
For grown-ups: sources
- Palczewski et al. 2000, Crystal structure of rhodopsin: a G protein-coupled receptor (Science)
- van der Maarel et al. 2002, Properties and applications of starch-converting enzymes of the α-amylase family (J Biotechnol)
- Fleming 1922, On a remarkable bacteriolytic element found in tissues and secretions (Proc R Soc B)
- Blake et al. 1965, Structure of hen egg-white lysozyme (Nature)
- Dalgleish & Corredig 2012, The structure of the casein micelle of milk and its changes during processing (Annu Rev Food Sci Technol)
- Shewry et al. 2002, The structure and properties of gluten: an elastic protein from wheat grain (Phil Trans R Soc B)
- Perutz et al. 1960, Structure of haemoglobin (Nature)
- Caterina et al. 1997, The capsaicin receptor: a heat-activated ion channel in the pain pathway (Nature)
- McKemy, Neuhausser & Julius 2002, Identification of a cold receptor reveals a general role for TRP channels in thermosensation (Nature)
- Peier et al. 2002, A TRP channel that senses cold stimuli and menthol (Cell)
- Varadi et al. 2024, AlphaFold Protein Structure Database (Nucleic Acids Res)
Each protein is found from its gene and organism in UniProt's reviewed entries; the ink and pencil come from the model's own per-residue confidence (pLDDT 70 or more is ink). Snapshot 2026-10-08. Nothing is typed in, saved or sent from this page.