title: In situ expression of eukaryotic ice-binding proteins in microbial communities of Arctic and Antarctic sea ice.
abstract: Ice-binding proteins (IBPs) have been isolated from various sea-ice organisms. Their characterisation points to a crucial role in protecting the organisms in sub-zero environments. However, their in situ abundance and diversity in natural sea-ice microbial communities is largely unknown. In this study, we analysed the expression and phylogenetic diversity of eukaryotic IBP transcripts from microbial communities of Arctic and Antarctic sea ice. IBP transcripts were found in abundances similar to those of proteins involved in core cellular processes such as photosynthesis. Eighty-nine percent of the IBP transcripts grouped with known IBP sequences from diatoms, haptophytes and crustaceans, but the majority represented novel sequences not previously characterized in cultured organisms. The observed high eukaryotic IBP expression in natural eukaryotic sea ice communities underlines the essential role of IBPs for survival of many microorganisms in communities living under the extreme conditions of polar sea ice.
authors.affiliation: Polar Biological Oceanography, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, Bremerhaven, Germany.|Marine Geochemistry, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, Bremerhaven, Germany.
authors.forename: Christiane
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Uhlig
authors.affiliation: Computing Centre, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, Bremerhaven, Germany.|Hochschule Bremerhaven, Department of Technology, An der Karlstadt 8, Bremerhaven, Germany.
authors.forename: Fabian
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kilpert
authors.affiliation: Computing Centre, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, Bremerhaven, Germany.|Hochschule Bremerhaven, Department of Technology, An der Karlstadt 8, Bremerhaven, Germany.
authors.forename: Stephan
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0356-9791
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Frickenhaus
authors.affiliation: Ecological Chemistry, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, Bremerhaven, Germany.
authors.forename: Jessica U
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4740-9554
authors.initials: JU
authors.lastname: Kegel
authors.affiliation: Polar Biological Oceanography, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, Bremerhaven, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Krell
authors.affiliation: School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, Norfolk, UK.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9604-0362
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mock
authors.affiliation: Polar Biological Oceanography, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, Bremerhaven, Germany.
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Valentin
authors.affiliation: Polar Biological Oceanography, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research, Am Handelshafen 12, Bremerhaven, Germany.
authors.forename: Bánk
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Beszteri
mesh_terms: D000864:Antarctic Regions; D001110:Arctic Regions; D017377:Diatoms / Q000235:genetics; D017753:Ecosystem; D005843:Geography; D058087:Haptophyta; D046448:Ice Cover / Q000737:chemistry / Q000382:microbiology*; D010788:Photosynthesis; D010802:Phylogeny; D059467:Transcriptome