Review Structure, Function and Evolution of Antifreeze Proteins

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Review Structure, Function and Evolution of Antifreeze Proteins CMLS, Cell. Mol. Life Sci. 55 (1999) 271–283 1420-682X/99/020271-13 $ 1.50+0.20/0 © Birkha¨user Verlag, Basel, 1999 Review Structure, function and evolution of antifreeze proteins K. V. Ewarta,Q.Linb and C. L. Hewb,* aNRC Institute for Marine Biosciences, 1411 Oxford St., Halifax (Nova Scotia B3H 3Z1, Canada), e-mail: [email protected] bResearch Institute, Hospital for Sick Children and Departments of Clinical Biochemistry and Biochemistry, University of Toronto, Toronto (Ontario M5G 1L5, Canada), Fax +1 416 978 8802, e-mail: [email protected] Received 2 September 1998; received after revision 21 October 1998; accepted 2 November 1998 Abstract. Antifreeze proteins bind to ice crystals and structures and mechanisms of action have provided new modify their growth. These proteins show great diver- understanding of these proteins in different contexts. sity in structure, and they have been found in a variety The purpose of this review is to present the develop- of organisms. The ice-binding mechanisms of antifreeze ments in contrasting research areas and unite them in proteins are not completely understood. Recent findings order to gain further insight into the structure and on the evolution of antifreeze proteins and on their function of the antifreeze proteins. Key words. Antifreeze; ice; protein structure; protein function; evolution; cell membranes. Introduction has been made in the study of antifreeze-ice interac- tions. However, a precise definition of the interactions The antifreeze proteins and glycoproteins [AF(G)P] between AF(G)Ps and ice that would give rise to an- were first identified in Antarctic teleost fishes as the tifreeze activity has not yet been obtained. It would causative agents of serum freezing point depression [1]. In Antarctic fish species, the antifreeze glycoproteins seem obvious that functional groups positioned to (AFGP) were found to lower the freezing point by more match the ice lattice on a particular plane would lead to than 1 °C to match that of seawater, and their name ice binding and antifreeze activity. Yet in this context reflects this biological function. The antifreeze glyco- we have not succeeded in defining what, exactly, distin- proteins were immediately recognised as unusual be- guishes an antifreeze protein from a non-antifreeze cause they caused a freezing point depression far greater protein. This is a fascinating question in protein struc- than would be predicted from colligative properties ture and function and in protein evolution. It is also of alone [1]. Later studies demonstrated that the an- interest in biotechnology because the design of new tifreezes lower the freezing point by interacting directly peptides or of peptidomimetics with antifreeze activity with the ice surface and causing a thermal hysteresis [2], will require a priori knowledge of the requisite struc- and this would account for their highly efficient noncol- tures for ice binding and growth inhibition. ligative freezing point depression. Excellent progress Among teleost fishes, five unrelated types of AF(G)Ps have been characterised, and each has a very narrow taxonomic distribution [3]. Since their discovery in fish, * Corresponding author. numerous different AFPs have been found in plants, 272 K. V. Ewart, Q. Lin and C. L. Hew Developments in antifreeze protein research Table 1. Overview of antifreeze protein characteristics. Protein Species Structural type Protein homology Ice binding site References Fish type I AFP righteye flounders, single h-helix, many undetected Thr and resid- [19, 20, 25, 79, 80] sculpins with sequence repeat ues associated Fish type II AFP sea raven, rainbow smelt, globular; smelt and galactose-binding; with it corresp- [31, 33, 81] Atlantic herring herring are Ca2+- C-type lectins in herring onds to Ca2+ dependent binding site Fish type III AFP eel pouts such as ocean globular with one undetected residues on and [82, 83] pout (Macrozoarces flattened surface flanking flat sur- americanus) face Fish type IV AFP longhorn sculpin antiparallel helix low-density lipoprotein unknown [84] (Myoxocephalus octo- bundle receptor-binding domain decimspinosis) of apolipoprotein E3 AFGP cods and Antarctic polymer of Ala-Ala- none – de novo evol- Gal-GalNAc reviewed in [4, 49] nototheniids Thr and variants, di- ution saccharide on each Thr Chitinase AFP winter rye endochitinase endochitinase unknown [58] Glucanase AFP winter rye endoglucanase endoglucanase unknown [58] Thaumatin AFP winter rye thaumatin-like thaumatin unknown [58] Budworm AFP spruce budworm (Chor- Thr- and Cys-rich undetected unknown [61] istoneura fumiferana) (non-repeating) Beetle AFP Dendroides canadensis, Thr- and Cys-rich undetected unknown [62, 63] mealworm beetle with repeating struc- ture animals, fungi and bacteria [4]. However, their distribu- proteins are summarised in table 1. The diversity of the tion appears strictly limited to species that are exposed antifreezes has been covered in recent reviews [3, 4, 10]. to cold or freezing temperatures, and in many cases Evidence for even greater variety among antifreezes is their occurrence within those species is limited to peri- accumulating. Antifreeze activity is found in many spe- ods of cold exposure. The diversity and specificity of the cies of plants, but with the exception of the winter rye AF(G)Ps is complicated by the recent discovery of (Secale cereale) AFPs, the active proteins remain to be activities in these proteins that are distinct from ice characterised. The antifreezes of bacteria are also not binding and freezing point depression [5]. They appear yet well understood, although investigation is progress- to protect mammalian cell membranes from damage at ing. For example, the AFP of Pseudomonas putida,a temperatures above 0 °C [6, 7]. Thus, our perspectives common soil bacterium, has been purified, and it has an on the distribution, diversity and roles of AF(G)Ps are amino acid composition and other compositional prop- in transition. erties similar to those of the bacterial ice nucleating This review will focus on some of the current develop- proteins. This protein differs from other known an- ments in our knowledge of AF(G)Ps. Recent reviews tifreezes in having both ice nucleating and antifreeze have addressed many aspects of AF(G)Ps [3, 5, 8–10]. activities [11]. Sequencing and structural studies on this However, in various areas of study, our understanding protein will be of great interest. of AF(G)Ps is progressing rapidly. Therefore, in this The different AF(G)Ps have two unusual and contrast- review, recent progress in our understanding of AF(G)P ing origins. Some are rogue proteins that have emerged evolution will be meshed with information on their from protein families with completely unrelated func- structure and function. By integrating different areas of tions. Others are genuinely novel proteins whose genes antifreeze research, we intend to gain new insights into came to exist through relatively recent genetic events. their activity and their role in nature. The surprising diversity of the AF(G)Ps together with their very narrow distributions has led to the hypothesis that they have each evolved recently and independently, well after present animal and plant orders or species Overview of AFP diversity had attained their current forms [12]. During geologi- AFPs from several species have been isolated and char- cally recent cooling and glaciation events, it is likely acterised. The proteins for which sequence or structural that species underwent tremendous selective pressure to information has been obtained include the five types of avoid freezing under progressively cooler conditions AFPs found in fish, two types from insects and the three [12]. This situation would have favoured any means of AFPs of a plant, winter rye. Characteristics of these lowering the freezing point that would not cause physi- CMLS, Cell. Mol. Life Sci. Vol. 55, 1999 Review Article 273 Figure 1. Protein sequences and a structure of representative fish type I AFPs. The sequences are aligned by eye for ease of comparison. The ribbon diagram of HPLC 6 image was generated using RasMol. References are: winter flounder serum HPLC6 [79], winter flounder serum AFP9 [19], winter flounder skin SAFP2 [27], yellowtail flounder YTAFP [20], shorthorn sculpin serum SS3 [25], shorthorn sculpin skin SSAFP [28], and HPLC6 structure [13]. ological disturbances, and it could well have led to the rugineus), the primary serum antifreeze has four re- present multitude of noncolligative antifreezes. peats, although the sequence is distinct from those of flounder, and this protein has lower activity than the three- or four-repeat winter flounder AFPs [19, 20]. The An alanine theme with variations lower activity of the yellowtail flounder AFP appears to result from its lack of certain ice-binding residues [13, The type I fish AFPs are alanine-rich h-helical proteins, 20]. The yellowtail flounder AFP is also encoded by a and they are found in the righteye flounders and in multigene family [20]. It seems likely that the flounder certain sculpins (fig. 1). Most are small proteins that have evolved antifreezes with different repeat numbers form single amphiphilic or partly amphiphilic h-helices [13]. The prototype and most carefully studied type I by unequal crossing over [21]. It is interesting that no AFP (isoform HPLC6) is the major serum isoform of two-repeat or five-repeat AFPs have been identified in winter flounder (Pleuronectes americanus) [13, 14]. This flounder. Studies have suggested structural and func- AFP and another abundant isoform (HPLC8) found in tional constraints on repeat numbers in these an- flounder serum are both 37-residue proteins that con- tifreezes. Analyses of synthetic or chimeric antifreeze tain 11-residue sequence repeats consisting of Thr-X variants have suggested that two-repeat antifreezes are 10 / [15]. The Thr residues of winter flounder type I AFP unstable and or inactive, and the five-repeat form may (HPLC6) are regularly spaced along one side of the have limited solubility in aqueous solutions [22–24].
Recommended publications
  • Distribution and Functional Characterisation of Antifreeze Proteins in Polar Diatoms
    Living inside Sea Ice - Distribution and Functional Characterisation of Antifreeze Proteins in Polar Diatoms Dissertation zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades eines Doktors der Naturwissenschaften - Dr. rer. Nat. - am Fachbereich 2 (Biologie/Chemie) der Universit¨atBremen vorgelegt von Christiane Uhlig Bremen Oktober, 2011 1. Pr¨ufer: Prof. Kai Bischof 2. Pr¨ufer: Prof. Ulrich Bathmann F¨urmeine Mutter Monika Was Menschen in die Polargebiete trieb, war die Macht des Unbekannten ¨uber den men- schlichen Geist. Sie treibt uns zu den verborgenen Kr¨aftenund Geheimnissen der Natur, hinab in die unermesslich kleine mikroskopische Welt und desgleichen hinaus in die uner- forschten Weiten des Universums. Sie l¨asstuns keine Ruhe, bis wir den Planeten, auf dem wir leben, von der tiefsten Tiefen des Ozeans bis zu den h¨ochsten Schichten der Atmosph¨arekennen. Fridtjof Nansen Danksagung Ich danke Prof. Ulrich Bathmann und Prof. Kai Bischof f¨urdie Begutachtung dieser Arbeit. Prof. Rudolf Amann danke ich, dass er sich kurzfristig bereit erkl¨arthat die Aufgabe des 3. Pr¨uferzu ¨ubernehmen. Bei Prof. Kai Bischof und Andreas Krell bedanke ich mich f¨urdie Hilfe zur Einwerbung des Stipendiums, welches diese Arbeit ¨uberhaupt erst erm¨oglicht hat. Der Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes danke ich f¨ur die finanzielle Unterst¨utzung. Ich bedanke mich ganz besonders bei der Meereis-Gruppe, die mehr ist als nur eine Ar- beitsgruppe. Besonders danke ich Gerhard Dieckmann, dass ich in Deiner Arbeitsgruppe meine Arbeit durchf¨uhrendurfte und f¨ur Deine Unterst¨utzungin allen m¨oglichen organ- isatorischen und pers¨onlichen Dingen. Klaus Valentin danke ich f¨urdie Unterst¨utzung, kreativen Titelvorschl¨ageund den Einsatz daf¨ur,dass ich noch eine Weile am AWI bleiben kann.
    [Show full text]
  • Effects of Antifreeze Protein III on Sperm Cryopreservation of Pacific Abalone, Haliotis Discus Hannai
    International Journal of Molecular Sciences Article Effects of Antifreeze Protein III on Sperm Cryopreservation of Pacific Abalone, Haliotis discus hannai Shaharior Hossen 1 , Md. Rajib Sharker 1,2, Yusin Cho 1, Zahid Parvez Sukhan 1 and Kang Hee Kho 1,* 1 Department of Fisheries Science, College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Chonnam National University, 50 Daehak-ro, Yeosu 59626, Jeonnam, Korea; [email protected] (S.H.); [email protected] (M.R.S.); [email protected] (Y.C.); [email protected] (Z.P.S.) 2 Department of Fisheries Biology and Genetics, Faculty of Fisheries, Patuakhali Science and Technology University, Patuakhali 8602, Bangladesh * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +82-616-597-168; Fax: +82-616-597-169 Abstract: Pacific abalone (Haliotis discus hannai) is a highly commercial seafood in Southeast Asia. The aim of the present study was to improve the sperm cryopreservation technique for this valuable species using an antifreeze protein III (AFPIII). Post-thaw sperm quality parameters including motility, acrosome integrity (AI), plasma membrane integrity (PMI), mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), DNA integrity, fertility, hatchability, and mRNA abundance level of heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) were determined to ensure improvement of the cryopreservation technique. Post-thaw motility of sperm cryopreserved with AFPIII at 10 µg/mL combined with 8% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) (61.3 ± 2.7%), 8% ethylene glycol (EG) (54.3 ± 3.3%), 6% propylene glycol (PG) (36.6 ± 2.6%), or 2% glycerol (GLY) (51.7 ± 3.0%) was significantly improved than that of sperm cryopreserved without AFPIII. Post-thaw motility of sperm cryopreserved with 2% MeOH and 1 µg/mL of AFPIII was also improved than that of sperm cryopreserved without AFPIII.
    [Show full text]
  • Structure and Application of Antifreeze Proteins from Antarctic Bacteria Patricio A
    Muñoz et al. Microb Cell Fact (2017) 16:138 DOI 10.1186/s12934-017-0737-2 Microbial Cell Factories RESEARCH Open Access Structure and application of antifreeze proteins from Antarctic bacteria Patricio A. Muñoz1*, Sebastián L. Márquez1,2, Fernando D. González‑Nilo3, Valeria Márquez‑Miranda3 and Jenny M. Blamey1,2* Abstract Background: Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) production is a survival strategy of psychrophiles in ice. These proteins have potential in frozen food industry avoiding the damage in the structure of animal or vegetal foods. Moreover, there is not much information regarding the interaction of Antarctic bacterial AFPs with ice, and new determinations are needed to understand the behaviour of these proteins at the water/ice interface. Results: Diferent Antarctic places were screened for antifreeze activity and microorganisms were selected for the presence of thermal hysteresis in their crude extracts. Isolates GU1.7.1, GU3.1.1, and AFP5.1 showed higher thermal hysteresis and were characterized using a polyphasic approach. Studies using cucumber and zucchini samples showed cellular protection when samples were treated with partially purifed AFPs or a commercial AFP as was determined using toluidine blue O and neutral red staining. Additionally, genome analysis of these isolates revealed the presence of genes that encode for putative AFPs. Deduced amino acids sequences from GU3.1.1 (gu3A and gu3B) and AFP5.1 (afp5A) showed high similarity to reported AFPs which crystal structures are solved, allowing then generating homology models. Modelled proteins showed a triangular prism form similar to β-helix AFPs with a linear distribution of threonine residues at one side of the prism that could correspond to the putative ice binding side.
    [Show full text]
  • Replacement of the Antifreeze-Like Domain of Human N-Acetylneuraminic Acid Phosphate Synthase with the Mouse Antifreeze-Like
    Replacement of the antifreeze-like domain of human N-acetylneuraminic acid phosphate synthase with the mouse antifreeze-like domain impacts both N-acetylneuraminic acid 9-phosphate synthase and 2-keto-3-deoxy-D-glycero-D- galacto-nonulosonic acid 9-phosphate synthase activities Marshall Louis Reaves1,2, Linda Carolyn Lopez1 & Sasha Milcheva Daskalova1,* 1The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe Arizona, 85287, 2Department of Molecular Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, USA Human NeuNAc-9-P synthase is a two-domain protein with In prokaryotes, the final stage of formation of N-ace- ability to synthesize both NeuNAc-9-P and KDN-9-P. Its tyl-D-neuraminic acid (NeuNAc) the most common sialic mouse counterpart differs by only 20 out of 359 amino acids acid in nature involves condensation of N-Acetyl-D-mannos- but does not produce KDN-9-P. By replacing the AFL domain amine (ManNAc) with phosphoenol pyruvate (PEP). The proc- of the human NeuNAc-9-P synthase which accommodates 12 ess, when irreversible, is catalyzed by the enzyme NeuNAc of these differences, with the mouse AFL domain we examined synthase (E.C. 4.1.3.19). The first bacterial gene, neuB gene, its importance for the secondary KDN-9-P synthetic activity. coding for the E. coli enzyme was identified in 1995 (2) and The chimeric protein retained almost half of the ability of the this later allowed overexpression and purification of sufficient human enzyme for KDN-9-P synthesis while the NeuNAc-9-P amount of protein for detailed characterization (3). Using the production was reduced to less than 10%.
    [Show full text]
  • Enhancement of Insect Antifreeze Protein Activity by Solutes of Low Molecular Mass
    The Journal of Experimental Biology 201, 2243–2251 (1998) 2243 Printed in Great Britain © The Company of Biologists Limited 1998 JEB1557 ENHANCEMENT OF INSECT ANTIFREEZE PROTEIN ACTIVITY BY SOLUTES OF LOW MOLECULAR MASS NING LI, CATHY A. ANDORFER AND JOHN G. DUMAN* Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA *Author for correspondence (e-mail: [email protected]) Accepted 20 May; published on WWW 14 July 1998 Summary Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) lower the non-equilibrium Glycerol is the only one of these enhancing solutes that is freezing point of water (in the presence of ice) below the known to be present at these concentrations in melting point, thereby producing a difference between the overwintering D. canadensis, and therefore the freezing and melting points that has been termed thermal physiological significance of most of these enhancers is hysteresis. In general, the magnitude of the thermal unknown. The mechanism(s) of this enhancement is also hysteresis depends upon the specific activity and unknown. concentration of the AFP. This study describes several low- The AFP used in this study (DAFP-4) is nearly identical molecular-mass solutes that enhance the thermal hysteresis to previously described D. canadensis AFPs. The mature activity of an AFP from overwintering larvae of the beetle protein consists of 71 amino acid residues arranged in six 12- Dendroides canadensis. The most active of these is citrate, or 13-mer repeats with a consensus sequence consisting of which increases the thermal hysteresis nearly sixfold from Cys-Thr-X3-Ser-X5-X6-Cys-X8-X9-Ala-X11-Thr-X13, where 1.2 °C in its absence to 6.8 °C.
    [Show full text]
  • Antifreeze Protein Improves the Cryopreservation Efficiency of Hosta Capitata by Regulating the Genes Involved in the Low-Temper
    horticulturae Study Protocol Antifreeze Protein Improves the Cryopreservation Efficiency of Hosta capitata by Regulating the Genes Involved in the Low-Temperature Tolerance Mechanism Phyo Phyo Win Pe 1,2,†, Aung Htay Naing 3,† , Chang Kil Kim 3,* and Kyeung Il Park 1,* 1 Department of Horticulture and Life Science, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, Korea; [email protected] 2 Department of Horticulture, Yezin Agricultural University, Nay Pyi Taw 15013, Myanmar 3 Department of Horticulture, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41566, Korea; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] (C.K.K.); [email protected] (K.I.P.) † Phyo Phyo Win Pe and Aung Htay Naing equally contributed to this work. Abstract: In this study, whether the addition of antifreeze protein (AFP) to a cryopreservative solution (plant vitrification solution 2 (PVS2)) is more effective in reducing freezing injuries in Hosta capitata than PVS2 alone at different cold exposure times (6, 24, and 48 h) is investigated. The upregulation of C-repeat binding factor 1 (CBF1) and dehydrin 1 (DHN1) in response to low temperature was observed in shoots. Shoots treated with distilled water (dH2O) strongly triggered gene expression 6 h after cold exposure, which was higher than those expressed in PVS2 and PVS2+AFP. However, 24 h after cold exposure, gene expressions detected in dH2O and PVS2 treatments were similar and Citation: Pe, P.P.W.; Naing, A.H.; higher than PVS2 + AFP. The expression was highest in PVS2+AFP when the exposure time was Kim, C.K.; Park, K.I. Antifreeze extended to 48 h. Similarly, nitric reductase activities 1 and 2 (Nia1 and Nia2) genes, which are Protein Improves the responsible for nitric oxide production, were also upregulated in low-temperature-treated shoots, Cryopreservation Efficiency of Hosta as observed for CBF1 and DHN1 expression patterns during cold exposure periods.
    [Show full text]
  • Supporting Information
    Supporting Information Deng et al. 10.1073/pnas.1007883107 Fig. S1. Nucleotide sequence alignment of the C-terminal domain coding exon (exon6) of Ld sialic acid synthase (SAS)-A and LdSAS-B and exon2 of three typical antifreeze protein (AFP)III genes, LdψAFPIII, LdAFPIII-1, and LdAFPIII-2, from the Lycodichthys dearborni AFPIII locus. Among AFPIII genes, LdψAFPIII shares the greatest sequence similarity with the LdSAS genes, including having six additional nucleotides (shown in red) not present in the other two AFPIII genes, suggesting that LdψAFPIII is the earliest member of the AFPIII gene family. Asterisks indicate identical nucleotides between the six sequences, and the asterisks in red indicate identical nucleotides shared between LdψAFPIII and the LdSAS genes. The stop codon (TGA for SAS and TAG for AFPIII) is underlined. Fig. S1 (PDF) Fig. S2. Sequence alignments of LdSAS-A, LdSAS-B, and LdψAFPIII, the putative primitive AFPIII gene members from L. dearborni.(A) Nucleotide sequence alignment and deduced amino acid sequence of LdSAS-A and LdSAS-B. The proximal 5′ flanking sequences (∼600 nt) of the two genes share no sequence similarity and thus, are not homologous. The locations of the six exons are labeled, and exon sequences and translated amino acids are bold. Amino acidsand codons of LdSAS-B that differ from LdSAS-A are shown in blue. (B) Nucleotide sequence alignment of the homologous regions between LdSAS-B and LdψAFPIII. The proximal 5′ flanking regions of the two genes are homologous. The color highlighted LdSAS-B sequence regions (in the ancestral LdSAS-B) gave rise to the AFPIII gene.
    [Show full text]
  • Biodiversity Research and Innovation in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean
    bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.05.03.074849; this version posted May 3, 2020. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY 4.0 International license. 1 Biodiversity Research and Innovation in Antarctica and the 2 Southern Ocean 3 2020 4 Paul Oldham and Jasmine Kindness1 5 Abstract 6 This article examines biodiversity research and innovation in Antarctica and the Southern 7 Ocean based on a review of 150,401 scientific articles and 29,690 patent families for 8 Antarctic species. The paper exploits the growing availability of open access databases, 9 such as the Lens and Microsoft Academic Graph, along with taxonomic data from the Global 10 Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) to explore the scientific and patent literature for 11 the Antarctic at scale. The paper identifies the main contours of scientific research in 12 Antarctica before exploring commercially oriented biodiversity research and development 13 in the scientific literature and patent publications. The paper argues that biodiversity is not 14 a free good and must be paid for. Ways forward in debates on commercial research and 15 development in Antarctica can be found through increasing attention to the valuation of 16 ecosystem services, new approaches to natural capital accounting and payment for 17 ecosystem services that would bring the Antarctic, and the Antarctic Treaty System, into 18 the wider fold of work on the economics of biodiversity.
    [Show full text]
  • Antifreeze Proteins and Their Practical Utilization in Industry, Medicine, and Agriculture
    biomolecules Review Antifreeze Proteins and Their Practical Utilization in Industry, Medicine, and Agriculture Azadeh Eskandari 1,2, Thean Chor Leow 1,3,4 , Mohd Basyaruddin Abdul Rahman 5 and Siti Nurbaya Oslan 1,2,4,* 1 Enzyme and Microbial Technology Research Centre, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia; [email protected] (A.E.); [email protected] (T.C.L.) 2 Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia 3 Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia 4 Enzyme Technology Laboratory, Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia 5 Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, UPM, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected]; Tel.: +60-39769-6710; Fax: +60-39769-7590 Received: 8 October 2020; Accepted: 30 November 2020; Published: 9 December 2020 Abstract: Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) are specific proteins, glycopeptides, and peptides made by different organisms to allow cells to survive in sub-zero conditions. AFPs function by reducing the water’s freezing point and avoiding ice crystals’ growth in the frozen stage. Their capability in modifying ice growth leads to the stabilization of ice crystals within a given temperature range and the inhibition of ice recrystallization that decreases the drip loss during thawing. This review presents the potential applications of AFPs from different sources and types. AFPs can be found in diverse sources such as fish, yeast, plants, bacteria, and insects.
    [Show full text]
  • ENGINEERING ANTIFREEZE PROTEIN MULTIMERS THROUGH GENETIC FUSION to SELF-ASSEMBLING PROTEIN OLIGOMERS Sean William Phippen
    ENGINEERING ANTIFREEZE PROTEIN MULTIMERS THROUGH GENETIC FUSION TO SELF-ASSEMBLING PROTEIN OLIGOMERS by Sean William Phippen A thesis submitted to the Department of Biomedical and Molecular Sciences In conformity with the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Queen’s University Kingston, Ontario, Canada (August, 2017) Copyright © Sean William Phippen, 2017 Abstract Ice-binding proteins (IBPs) serve many purposes for the organisms producing them, enabling them to thrive in ice-laden environments. Antifreeze proteins (AFPs), a subset of this group, act as biological antifreezes and inhibit ice recrystallization. These ice-binding activities have many applications in the field of biotechnology, and to this end AFPs have been engineered in several ways to increase their activity. One of these strategies is to connect multiple AFPs together using a scaffold, which has been accomplished previously through bioconjugation of AFPs to the reactive termini of branched polymers. The inefficiency of such linkage reactions, however, resulted in heterogeneous mixtures of particles with incomplete occupancy of the available termini. To address this shortcoming, AFPs were genetically fused to the C termini of subunits forming self-assembling protein oligomers, in such a way that the ice-binding site of the AFP was optimally exposed for contact with ice. First, two different type of AFPs were separately fused to 12 of the 24 subunits of a self-assembling protein cage. The subunits assembled into the designed structures, and the AFP multimers showed greatly enhanced freezing point depression and ice recrystallization inhibition over the corresponding monomeric AFPs. A moderately active fish AFP was also fused to a subunit designed to assemble into two- dimensional arrays, and the resulting fusion protein showed increased freezing point depression over the monomer.
    [Show full text]
  • The Study of Evolutionary Origin of the Antifreeze Gene in ​Rhagium
    Roskilde Universitet / Roskilde University Den Naturvidenskabelige Bacheloruddannelse / The Natural Science Bachelor Programme _____________________________________________ The study of evolutionary origin of the antifreeze gene in Rhagium mordax. __________________________​ ____________​ _​ ___________________ Group members: Saudat Alishayeva Nicolaj Stelzner Grønvall Alexander Varnich Hansen Philip Kruse Nina Štrancar Project supervisor: Peter Kamp Busk Semester: 5th Semester Date: 18/12/2018 Abstract This project report details the attempt to isolate and sequence candidate sequences for the evolution of the antifreeze protein gene present in Rhagium mordax. Larvae of ​ ​ the R.mordax species were collected, their DNA extracted and underwent PCR ​ ​ amplification with the use of specially designed primers which targeted sequences similar to ones coding for antifreeze genes. In addition, to validate the species we have applied DNA barcoding method. PCR amplifications were analysed with gel electrophoresis. Several PCR products were observed and sent for direct Sanger sequencing. Due to a problem with sequencing, we have been unable to identify the sequences and draw the conclusions of the origin of the antifreeze gene. Although the sequencing failed, results from the previous steps indicate that the methods utilized in this project were feasible for the study of R. mordax genetics. ​ ​ 1 Table of contents Abstract 1 Table of contents 2 Introduction 4 1.1 Hypothesis 5 2. Theory 6 2.1 Historical Overview of the Discovery of the Antifreeze Proteins 6 2.2 Convergent Evolution and R. mordax 6 2.3 Mutations - Gene Duplication 8 2.4 Antifreeze Proteins and Their Function 10 2.5 Degenerate primer design 10 3. Experimental methods 15 3.1 Сollection of R.
    [Show full text]
  • Antifreeze Protein Prolongs the Life-Time of Insulinoma Cells During Hypothermic Preservation
    Antifreeze Protein Prolongs the Life-Time of Insulinoma Cells during Hypothermic Preservation Tatsuro Kamijima1, Mami Sakashita1, Ai Miura1, Yoshiyuki Nishimiya1, Sakae Tsuda1,2* 1 Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan, 2 Graduate School of Life Science, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan Abstract It is sometimes desirable to preserve mammalian cells by hypothermia rather than freezing during short term transplantation. Here we found an ability of hypothermic (+4uC) preservation of fish antifreeze protein (AFP) against rat insulinoma cells denoted as RIN-5F. The preservation ability was compared between type I–III AFPs and antifreeze glycoprotein (AFGP), which could be recently mass-prepared by a developed technique utilizing the muscle homogenates, but not the blood serum, of cold-adapted fishes. For AFGP, whose molecular weight is distributed in the range from 2.6 to 34 kDa, only the proteins less than 10 kDa were examined. The viability rate was evaluated by counting of the preserved RIN-5F cells unstained with trypan blue. Significantly, either AFPI or AFPIII dissolved into Euro-Collins (EC) solution at a concentration of 10 mg/ml could preserve approximately 60% of the cells for 5 days at +4uC. The 5-day preserved RIN-5F cells retained the ability to secrete insulin. Only 2% of the cells were, however, preserved for 5 days without AFP. Confocal photomicroscopy experiments further showed the significant binding ability of AFP to the cell surface. These results suggest that fish AFP enables 5-day quality storage of the insulinoma cells collected from a donor without freezing.
    [Show full text]