Antifreeze proteins in higher plants.
Overwintering plants produce antifreeze proteins (AFPs) having the ability to adsorb onto the surface of ice crystals and modify their growth. Recently, several AFPs have been isolated and characterized and five full-length AFP cDNAs have been cloned and characterized in higher plants. The derived amino acid sequences have shown low homology for identical residues. Theoretical and experimental models for structure of Lolium perenne AFP have been proposed. In addition, it was found that the hormone ethylene is involved in regulating antifreeze activity in response to cold. In this review, it is seen that the physiological and biochemical roles of AFPs may be important to protect the plant tissues from mechanical stress caused by ice formation.
Atici
Okkeş
O
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Arts, Atatürk University, 25240 Erzurum, Turkey.
Nalbantoglu
Barbaros
B
D000064:Acclimatization; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D021301:Antifreeze Proteins / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology*; D003451:Cryoprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D005615:Freezing; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D018521:Plant Physiological Phenomena; D010944:Plants / Q000737:chemistry*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
D021301:Antifreeze Proteins; D003451:Cryoprotective Agents