Expression of Ice-Binding Proteins in Caenorhabditis elegans Improves the Survival Rate upon Cold Shock and during Freezing.

ABSTRACT: Ice-binding proteins (IBPs) are capable of binding ice crystals and inhibiting their growth at freezing temperatures. IBPs are also thought to stabilize the cell membrane at non-freezing temperatures near 0 °C. These two effects have been assumed to reduce cold- and freezing-induced damage to cells and tissues. However, knowledge regarding the effects of IBP on the living animals is limited. Here, we characterized the relationship between the IBP effects and the physiological role by using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. The expression of fish (NfeIBPs)- and fungus-derived IBPs (AnpIBPs and TisIBP8) in C. elegans improved its survival rate during exposure to 0 and -2 °C (cold shock) and -5 °C (freezing). The observed cold tolerance of C. elegans after cold shock is attributable to the

SUBMITTER: Kuramochi M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6520345 | biostudies-literature | 2019 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature