Clustering of ice nucleation protein correlates with ice nucleation activity.
Antibodies raised against a synthetic peptide specifically detect ice nucleation proteins from Pseudomonas species in Western blots. In immunofluorescent staining of whole bacteria, the antibodies reveal the protein in clusters, as indicated by patches of intense fluorescence in Escherichia coli cells heterologously expressing Pseudomonas ice nucleation genes. The abundance, size, and brightness of the clusters vary considerably from cell to cell. Their varying sizes may explain the variability in activity of bacterial ice nuclei. Growth at lower temperatures produces more ice nuclei, and gives brighter and more frequent patches, than growth at 37 degrees C. The observed clustering may thus reflect formation of functional ice nucleation sites in vivo. The presence of ice nucleation protein in clusters is also correlated with alterations in cell morphology.
DNA Plant Technology Corporation, Oakland, California 94608.
G M
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Mueller
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Wolber
G J
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Warren
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D007053:Ice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000276:immunology; D011549:Pseudomonas / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D012091:Repetitive Sequences, Nucleic Acid; D013696:Temperature
D001425:Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D007053:Ice; D009842:Oligopeptides; C063113:ice nucleation protein