• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.137-142
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• 2015

Antifreeze proteins and glycoproteins [AF(G)Ps] constitute a group of proteins that lower the freezing but not the melting points of aqueous solutions, enabling polar and north-temperate fish to survive in ice-laden environments. However, little is known about antifreeze activity in temperate fish; such work would extend our knowledge on the functions and evolution of AF(G)Ps. In the present study, we screened for antifreeze activity in temperate fish caught off the coast of Jumunjin ($37.89^{\circ}N$), Gangneung, Korea. Thermal hysteresis (TH) and the ability to inhibit ice recrystallization (IR) in blood, liver, and muscle samples from nine fish were examined to assess antifreeze activity. As the East Sea off the coast of Jumunjin is ice-free year round, we thought it most unlikely that the fish would express antifreeze proteins. Surprisingly, the blood of Pleurogrammus azonus and three types of tissue from Gymnocanthus herzensteini, Zoarces gilli and Kareius bicoloratus exhibited measurable TH values together with the ability to trigger characteristic morphological changes in ice crystals. Blood samples from the three species also evidenced ice recrystallization (IR) inhibition. This implies that AF(G)Ps or other antifreeze-like substances are present in temperate fish even under nonfreezing conditions. These results contribute to our understanding of the functions and origins of antifreeze activity in fish.

• International Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.66-75
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• 2006

The effect of antifreeze solution liquid film on the frost prevention is experimentally investigated. It is desirable that the antifreeze solution spreads widely on the heat exchanger surface forming thin liquid film to prevent frost nucleation while having small thermal resistance across the film. A porous layer coating technique is adopted to improve the wettability of the antifreeze solution on a parallel plate heat exchanger. The antifreeze solution spreads widely on the heat exchanger surface with $100{\mu}m$ thickness by the capillary force resulted from the porous structure. It is observed that the antifreeze solution liquid film prevents a parallel plate heat exchanger from frosting. The reductions of heat and mass transfer rate caused by the thin liquid film are only $1{\sim}2%$ compared with those for non-liquid film surface.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.31 no.12
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• pp.3791-3793
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• 2010

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.19 no.8
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• pp.33.1-33.7
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• 2016

Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) lower the freezing point but not the melting point of aqueous solutions by inhibiting the growth of ice crystals via an adsorption-inhibition mechanism. However, the function of type IV AFP (AFP IV) is questionable, as its antifreeze activity is on the verge of detectable limits, its physiological concentration in adult fish blood is too low to function as a biological antifreeze, and its homologues are present even in fish from tropic oceans as well as freshwater. Therefore, we speculated that AFP IV may have gained antifreeze activity not by selective pressure but by chance. To test this hypothesis, we cloned, expressed, and assayed AFP IV from cultured subtropical olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus), which do not require antifreeze protein for survival. Among the identified expressed sequence tags of the flounder liver sample, a 5'-deleted complementary DNA (cDNA) sequence similar to the afp4 gene of the longhorn sculpin was identified, and its full-length cDNA and genome structure were examined. The deduced amino acid sequence of flounder AFP IV shared 55, 53, 52, and 49 % identity with those of Pleuragramma antarcticum, Myoxocephalus octodecemspinosus, Myoxocephalus scorpius, and Notothenia coriiceps, respectively. Furthermore, the genomic structure of this gene was conserved with those of other known AFP IVs. Notably, the recombinant AFP IV showed a weak but distinct thermal hysteresis of $0.07{\pm}0.01^{\circ}C$ at the concentration of 0.5 mg/mL, and ice crystals in an AFP IV solution grew star-shaped, which are very similar to those obtained from other polar AFP IVs. Taken together, our results do not support the hypothesis of evolution of AFP IV by selective pressure, suggesting that the antifreeze activity of AFP IV may have been gained by chance.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.176-179
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• 1999

Trinexapac-ethyl[ 4-(cyclopropyl- $\alpha$ -hydroxy-methylene)-3,5-dioxocyclohexane carboxylic acid ethylester] is a growth-retardant for plants by inhibiting a key step in biosynthesis of GA. A treatment of trinexapacethyl generally induces a reduction in vegetative growth and also inhibits heading. In addition, the trinexapacethyl was known to enhance the freeze-tolerance in annual bluegrass, however, the mechanism is not known yet. One possible reason for the enhanced freeze-tolerance may be the antifreeze protein known to be accumulated in intercellular space of the leaf during cold acclimation. In order to see the possible in-duction of the synthesis of antifreeze proteins by trinexacpacethyl, the apoplastic proteins extracted from Kentucky bluegrass treated with trinexapacethyl were analyzed by SDS-PAGE and the presence of the antifreeze protein was observed. In addition, western analysis showed the identity of the protein induced by both a cold acclimation and a trinexapacethyl treatment. It appears that an enhanced freeze-tolerance of the turf grass by trinexapacethyl is due to the synthesis and/or accumulation of the antifreeze protein similar to the enhanced freeze tolerance induced by cold acclimation.

• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.48 no.5
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• pp.407-412
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• 2003

In order to measure an antifreezing tolerance, antifreeze proteins accumulated upon cold acclimation in apoplast were analyzed. As Dongborilho were cold-acclimated for 3 to 74 days there was an abrupt increase in apoplastic proteins up to 30 days and then decrease to the similar levels. Among the known antifreeze proteins, CLP produced in E. coli. and TLP purified from apoplast were used to generate antisera that allow to measure and localize the proteins in leaves of barley. The CLP of 27.7 kDa and TLPs of 6, 26, 27, 30, and 31 kDa were increased in their amounts in apoplast as cold treatment being longer. There was a correlation among the amounts of those proteins accumulated in apoplast and freezing tolerance as shown in field and ion leakage tests for five cultivars. The deposit of CLP was localized in the marginal area and the area adjacent to leaf vescular bundle cells in an increasing manner according to duration of cold acclimation but no variation was observed in terms of it's distribution. Based on the close correlation between levels of antifreeze proteins and degrees of freezing tolerance, the immunological methods was to develop to estimate a freezing tolerance in barley.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.47-52
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• 1999

Change of proteins was confirmed during low temperature acclimation of overwintering larva, and some biochemical characteristics of the induced antifreeze protein-1 (AFP-1) were investigated in Protaetia brevitarsis. As the freezing point depression by the action of induced AFPs, a considerable thermal hysteresis was observed in the haemolymph and in partially purified proteins. AFP-1 was purified from the cold acclimation larvae by ammonium sulfate precipitation ion exchange chromatography, gel permeation chromatography, and electroelution. The purified AFP-1 was determined to be a glycoprotein (approximately 320 kDa, pl 5.8) composed of a single type of subunit (80 kDa). The high contents of hydrophilic amino acids (Asp, Glu, Lys, Asn, Gln, Arg, Ser, Thr) were also confirmed, showing similarity with antifreeze proteins from other insects.

• Korean Journal of Plant Tissue Culture
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.339-343
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• 2000

When plants are exposed to subfreezing temperatures ice crystals are forming within extracelluar space in leaves. The growth of ice crystal is closely related to the degree of freezing injury. It was shown that an antifreeze protein binds to an ice nucleator through hydrogen bonds to prevent growth of ice crystal and also reduces freezing damage. The antifreeze proteins in plants are similar to PR proteins but only the PR proteins induced upon cold acclimation were shown to have dual functions in antifreezing as well as antifungal activities. Three of the genes encoded for CLP, GLP, and TLP were isolated from barley and Kentucky bluegrass based on amino acid sequence revealed after purification and low temperature-inducibility as shown in analysis of the protein. The deduced amino acid of the genes cloned showed a signal for secretion into extracellular space where the antifreezing activity sup-posed to work. The western analysis using the antisera raised against the antifreeze proteins showed a positive correlation between the amount of the protein and the level of freeze tolerance among different cultivars of barely. Besides it was revealed that TLP is responsible for a freeze tolerance induced by a treatment of trinexapac ethyl in Kentucky bluegrass. Analysis of an overwintering wild rice, Oryza rufipogon also showed that an acquisition of freeze tolerance relied on accumulation of the protein similar to CLP. The more direct evidence for the role of CLP in freeze tolerance was made with the analysis of the transgenic tobacco showing extracellular accumulation of CLP and enhanced freeze tolerance measured by amount of ion leakage and rate of photosynthetic electron transport upon freezing. These antifreeze proteins genes will be good candidates for transformation into crops such as lettuce and strawberry to develop into the new crops capable of freeze-storage and such as rose and grape to enhance a freeze tolerance for a safe survival during winter.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.159-169
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• 2011

Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) have ice binding affinity, depress freezing temperature and inhibit ice recystallization which protect cellular membranes in polar organisms. Recent structural studies of antifreeze proteins have significantly expanded our understanding of the structure-function relationship and ice crystal growth inhibition. Although AFPs (Type I-IV AFP from fish, insect AFP and Plant AFP) have completely different fold and no sequence homology, they share a common feature of their surface area for ice binding property. The conserved ice-binding sites are relatively flat and hydrophobic. For example, Type I AFP has an amphipathic, single ${\alpha}$-helix and has regularly spaced Thr-Ala residues which make direct interaction with oxygen atoms of ice crystals. Unlike Type I AFP, Type II and III AFP are compact globular proteins that contain a flat ice-binding patch on the surface. Type II and Type III AFP show a remarkable structural similarity with the sugar binding lectin protein and C-terminal domain of sialic acid synthase, respectively. Type IV is assumed to form a four-helix bundle which has sequence similarity with apolipoprotein. The results of our modeling suggest an ice-binding induced structural change of Type IV AFP. Insect AFP has ${\beta}$-helical structure with a regular array of Thr-X-Thr motif. Threonine residues of each Thr-X-Thr motif fit well into the ice crystal lattice and provide a good surface-surface complementarity. This review focuses on the structural characteristics and details of the ice-binding mechanism of antifreeze proteins.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.584-590
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• 2017

Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) bind to ice crystals and inhibit their growth. AFPs are essential for the survival of organisms living in subzero environments. Type I AFP (AFP37) isolated from winter flounder is an ${\alpha}$-helical peptide of 37 residues long. In this study, we attempted to develop short AFP fragments with higher activity and solubility. We designed and synthesized N-terminal 15 and 21 residue-long AFPs, designated AFP15 and 21. Also dimerized AFP15 and 21, designated dAFP15N and dAFP21N, respectively, were generated through disulfide bonds between peptides containing CGG residues added to the N-terminus of AFP15 and AFP21 (designated AFP15N and 21N). Their helical contents and antifreeze activities were assessed using circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy and a nanoliter osmometer, respectively. The helical content of AFP15 AFP21, AFP15N, AFP21N, dAFP15N and dAFP21N was 47, 48, 23.8, 28, 49.1, and 52%, respectively compared to that of wild type AFP37; the antifreeze activity was 8.4, 9.3, 0.05, 5.6, 12.1, 11.2% respectively, compared to that of wild type AFP37. Contrary to our anticipation, the dimerized peptides showed almost the same antifreeze activity as their monomeric counterparts. These results indicate that the dimerized peptides behave as monomeric peptides due to the high rotational freedom of disulfide bonds connecting two monomeric peptides. The star-shaped ice crystals generated by the peptides also demonstrated weak interaction between ice and peptides.