A low molecular weight peptide from snow mold with epitopic homology to the winter flounder antifreeze protein

The properties, biotechnologies, and applications of antifreeze proteins

By natural selection, organisms evolve different solutions to cope with extremely cold weather. The emergence of an antifreeze protein gene is one of the most momentous solutions. Antifreeze proteins possess an importantly functional ability for organisms to survive in cold environments and are widely found in various cold-tolerant species. In this review, we summarize the origin of antifreeze proteins, describe the diversity of their species-specific properties and functions, and highlight the related biotechnology on the basis of both laboratory tests and bioinformatics analysis. The most recent advances in the applications of antifreeze proteins are also discussed. We expect that this systematic review will contribute to the comprehensive knowledge of antifreeze proteins to readers.

A brief review of applications of antifreeze proteins in cryopreservation and metabolic genetic engineering

Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) confer the ability to survive at subzero temperatures and are found in many different organisms, including fish, plants, and insects. They prevent the formation of ice crystals by non-colligative adsorption to the ice surface and are essential for the survival of organisms in cold environments. These proteins are also widely used for cryopreservation, food technology, and metabolic genetic engineering over a range of sources and recipient cell types. This review summarizes successful applications of AFPs in the cryopreservation of animals, insects, and plants, and discusses challenges encountered in cryopreservation. Applications in metabolic genetic engineering are also described, specifically with the overexpression of AFP genes derived from different organisms to provide freeze protection to sensitive crops seasonally exposed to subzero temperatures. This review will provide information about potential applications of AFPs in the cryopreservation of animals and plants as well as in plant metabolic genetic engineering in hopes of furthering the development of cold-tolerant organisms.

Antifreeze proteins from snow mold fungi

The psychrophilic fungi Coprinus psychromorbidus and Typhula ishikariensis produced unique antifreeze proteins (AFPs) in the extracellular space. Molecular masses of purified fungal AFPs of C. psychromorbidus and T. ishikariensis were approximately 22 and 23 kDa, respectively. Cloned genes of AFPs from T. ishikariensis do not have any similarity with known proteins. Purified fungal AFPs from cultural filtrate of T. ishikariensis and recombinant fungal AFP from methylotrophic yeast formed specific ice crystals resembling "Stone Age knives". These observations indicate that fungal AFPs do not form proper hexagonal ice crystals to inhibit their growth and that fungal AFPs can probably bind to surfaces of ice crystals in an irregular manner.Key words: antifreeze protein, snow mold fungi, Coprinus psychromorbidus, Typhula ishikariensis.

Role of ice nucleation and antifreeze activities in pathogenesis and growth of snow molds

ABSTRACT We examined the ability of snow molds to grow at temperatures from -5 to 30 degrees C and to influence the growth of ice through assays for ice nucleation and antifreeze activities. Isolates of Coprinus psychromorbidus (low temperature basidiomycete variant), Microdochium nivale, Typhula phacorrhiza, T. ishikariensis, T. incarnata, and T. canadensis all grew at -5 degrees C, whereas Sclerotinia borealis and S. homoeocarpa did not grow at temperatures below 4 degrees C. The highest threshold ice nucleation temperature was -7 degrees C. Because snow molds are most damaging to their hosts at temperatures above this, our results imply that the pathogenesis of these fungi is not dependent on ice nucleation activity to cause freeze-wounding of host plants. All snow molds that grew at subzero temperatures also exhibited antifreeze activity in the growth medium and in the soluble and insoluble hyphal fractions, with the exception of M. nivale and one isolate of T. canadensis. The lack of high ice nucleation activity combined with the presence of antifreeze activity in all fungal fractions indicates that snow molds can moderate their environment to inhibit or modify intra- and extracellular ice formation, which helps explain their ability to grow at subzero temperatures under snow cover.

Antifreeze proteins and their potential use in frozen foods

Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) are proteins that have the ability to modify the growth of ice, resulting in the stabilization of ice crystals over a defined temperature range and in the inhibition of the recrystallization of ice. AFPs are found in a wide range of organisms, including bacteria, fungi, plants, invertebrates and fish. Moreover, multiple forms of AFPs are synthesized within each organism. As a result, it should be possible to select an AFP with appropriate characteristics and a suitable level of activity for a particular food product. Antifreeze proteins may improve the quality of foods that are eaten while frozen by inhibiting recrystallization and maintaining a smooth texture. In foods that are frozen only for preservation, AFPs may inhibit recrystallization during freezing, storage, transport and thawing, thus preserving food texture by reducing cellular damage and also minimizing the loss of nutrients by reducing drip. Antifreeze proteins are naturally present in many foods consumed as part of the human diet. However, AFPs may be introduced into other food products either by physical processes, such as mixing and soaking, or by gene transfer.