Microfluidic Cold-Finger Device for the Investigation of Ice-Binding Proteins.

ABSTRACT: Ice-binding proteins (IBPs) bind to ice crystals and control their structure, enlargement, and melting, thereby helping their host organisms to avoid injuries associated with ice growth. IBPs are useful in applications where ice growth control is necessary, such as cryopreservation, food storage, and anti-icing. The study of an IBP's mechanism of action is limited by the technological difficulties of in situ observations of molecules at the dynamic interface between ice and water. We describe herein a new, to our knowledge, apparatus designed to generate a controlled temperature gradient in a microfluidic chip, called a microfluidic cold finger (MCF). This device allows growth of a stable ice crystal that can be easily manipulated with or without IBPs in solution. Using the MCF, we show th

SUBMITTER: Haleva L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5034346 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature