title: Cryopreservative effects of the recombinant ice-binding protein from the arctic yeast Leucosporidium sp. on red blood cells.
abstract: Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) have important functions in many freeze-tolerant organisms. The proteins non-colligatively lower the freezing point and functionally inhibit ice recrystallization in frozen solutions. In our previous studies, we found that the Arctic yeast Leucosporidium sp. produces an AFP (LeIBP), and that the protein could be successfully produced in Pichia expression system. The present study showed that recombinant LeIBP possesses the ability to reduce the damage induced to red blood cells (RBCs) by freeze thawing. In addition to 40 % glycerol, both 0.4 and 0.8 mg/ml LeIBPs significantly reduced freeze-thaw-induced hemolysis at either rapid- (45 °C) or slow-warming (22 °C) temperatures. Post-thaw cell counts of the cryopreserved RBCs were dramatically enhanced, in particular, in 0.8 mg/ml LeIBP. Interestingly, the cryopreserved cells in the presence of LeIBP showed preserved cell size distribution. These results indicate that the ability of LeIBP to inhibit ice recrystallization helps the RBCs avoid critically damaging electrolyte concentrations, which are known as solution effects. Considering all these data, LeIBP can be thought of as a key component in improving RBC cryopreservation efficiency.
authors.affiliation: Division of Polar Life Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sung Gu
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Hye Yeon
authors.initials: HY
authors.lastname: Koh
authors.forename: Jun Hyuck
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Sung-Ho
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Hak Jun
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Kim
mesh_terms: D001487:Basidiomycota / Q000737:chemistry*; D002452:Cell Count; D048429:Cell Size / Q000187:drug effects; D015925:Cryopreservation; D003460:Crystallization; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000276:immunology; D005656:Fungal Proteins / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006461:Hemolysis / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007053:Ice; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D005656:Fungal Proteins; D007053:Ice; D011994:Recombinant Proteins