Plant Antifreeze Protein Function Analysis Services

Low temperature is a major adversity for plants, jeopardizing their growth and development and limiting their geographical distribution and crop yields. Therefore, overwintering plants have developed antifreeze proteins (AFPs) adapted to cold environments during long-term evolution. AFPs act at the ice-water interface to prevent or alter the ability of ice crystal growth, thereby protecting the normal state of cells during the freeze-thaw process. 

CD BioSciences has extensive knowledge and experience in plant adversity biology. We provide functional analysis services for AFPs produced by plants under cold conditions, including identification, binding site analysis, action mechanism analysis, and antifreeze activity assay.

Figure 1. A hypothetical model showing the regulation of antifreeze proteins in plants. (Gupta, R., & Deswal, R. 2014)

Plant Antifreeze Protein Identification Service

Different AFPs exhibit high heterogeneity in structure and sequence. Given the significance of AFPs, we provide customers with several machine-learning-based models to predict and identify plant AFPs.

Plant Antifreeze Protein Expression and Purification Service

We provide customers with expression services. We express AFPs in Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) and detect its in vitro antifreeze activity by measuring enhanced bacterial cold resistance. Then, we purify the AFPs using the ice adsorption method.

Plant Antifreeze Protein Activity Analysis Service

A prerequisite for analyzing the function of AFPs is that they have good antifreeze activity. The main indicators for evaluating the activity of AFPs are thermal hysteresis and recrystallization inhibition. Therefore, we provide customers with activity assay services for AFPs, including

Plant Antifreeze Protein Thermal Hysteresis Assay Service

Plant Antifreeze Protein Recrystallization Inhibition Assay Service

In addition, we also provide a highly sensitive and fast colorimetric method based on frozen unstable nanoparticles to detect the concentration-dependent activity and stability of AFPs.

Plant Antifreeze Protein Ice Binding Mechanism Analysis Service

We offer the research on interaction between proteins and ice surfaces to elucidate their ice-binding mechanisms. Our service also studies the specific regions of AFPs involved in ice binding. 

Experimental Determination Service for AFP Binding Sites

The interaction between AFPs and ice is the basis for the functional inhibition of ice crystal growth. We provide analysis services on the binding sites of AFPs to ice, helping customers gain a deeper understanding of the action mechanism of AFPs.

Transgenic Plant Antifreeze Function Analysis Service

Our services include phenotypic and induced gene expression analysis of genetically modified plants under low-temperature stress at different developmental stages, as well as determination of physiological indicators of oxidative stress.

Workflow

Application Fields

Plant AFPs have essential functions in stress resistance and also have broad potential applications in industry, medicine, and agriculture, such as

• Study the anti-infective (antiviral) properties of AFPs.
• Cryotherapy (cryopreservation/cryosurgery).
• Cell and tissue cryopreservation.
• Improvement of antifreeze crop varieties.
• Frozen food.
• Ice cream products.
• Making frost-resistant gel and high-porosity ceramics.

CD BioSciences is a biotechnology company focused on plant protein research, providing a variety of related services and products for environmental and energy solutions. If you are interested in our services, please contact us for more details.

For research use only, not for clinical use.