credit:
Norbert Wu
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ANTIFREEZE
PROTEINS SECRETS FOR MANKIND?
In
the early 1970s, NSF-funded research identified glycoproteins
as the "antifreeze" in some Antarctic fish.
These compounds inhibit the growth of ice crystals in tissue, preventing
them from damaging cells and tissues. Since this discovery, researchers
have found similar compounds in other cold-water
fish, insects, plants, fungi and bacteria.
Because of the numerous potential benefits of protecting tissue from damage
by freezing, private companies have begun to explore the use of these compounds
in
- increasing freeze tolerance of commercial plants,
- improving farm fish production in cold climates,
- extending shelf life of frozen foods,
- improving
cryosurgery (i.e., surgery involving the freezing of certain tissues)
- and improving preservation of tissues for transplant or
transfusion in medicine.
NSF has funded and continues to fund basic research related to the distribution,
evolution, regulation and mode of action of these antifreeze proteins.
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