UNASSIGNED: Organisms living in polar regions have evolved a series of antifreeze (glyco) proteins (AFGPs) to enable them to survive by modulating the structure of ice. These proteins have huge potential for use in cellular cryopreservation, ice-resistant surfaces, frozen food, and cryosurgery, but they are limited by their relatively low availability and questions regarding their mode of action. This has triggered the search for biomimetic materials capable of reproducing this function. The identification of new structures and sequences capable of inhibiting ice growth is crucial to aid our understanding of these proteins. Here, we show that plant c-type lectins, which have similar biological function to @entity1 c-type lectins (glycan recognition) but no sequence homology to AFPs, display @entity460 -dependent ice recrystallization inhibition (IRI) activity. This IRI activity can be switched on/off by changing the @entity141 concentration. To show that more (nonantifreeze) proteins may exist with the potential to display IRI, a second motif was considered, amphipathicity. All known AFPs have defined hydrophobic/hydrophilic domains, rationalizing this choice. The cheap, and widely used, antimicrobial @entity31778 was found to have cation-dependent IRI activity, controlled by either acid or addition of @entity3793 -binding ions such as @entity219 or @entity3406 , which promote its amphipathic structure. These results demonstrate a new approach in the identification of antifreeze protein mimetic macromolecules and may help in the development of synthetic mimics of AFPs.

Latent Ice Recrystallization Inhibition Activity in Nonantifreeze Proteins: XXXX -Activated Plant Lectins and Cation-Activated Antimicrobial Peptides.

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['human'] @entity3406 :: ('MESH:D009532', 'Chemical') :: ['nickel'] @entity3793 :: ('CHEBI:27570', 'Chemical') :: ['histidine'] @entity219 :: ('MESH:D015032', 'Chemical') :: ['zinc'] @entity31778 :: ('MESH:D009561', 'Chemical') :: ['Nisin'] @entity460 :: ('MESH:D002118', 'Chemical') :: ['calcium'] @entity141 :: ('CHEBI:29108', 'Chemical') :: ['Ca(2+)']
@entity141 :: (CHEBI:29108,Chemical) :: ['Ca(2+)']
