RUB researchers and colleagues describe new mode of action
for antifreeze proteins in PNAS
Water dynamics mediates interaction between proteins and ice
crystals
Certain plants and animals protect themselves against
temperatures below freezing with antifreeze proteins. How the larva of the
beetle Dendroides Canadensis manages to withstand temperatures down to -30
degrees Celsius is reported by an international team of researchers led by
Prof. Dr. Martina Havenith from the Department of Physical Chemistry II at the
Ruhr-Universität in the journal PNAS. Together with American colleagues, the
RUB-researchers showed that interactions between the antifreeze proteins and
water molecules contribute significantly to protection against the cold.
Previously, it was assumed that the effect was only achieved through direct
contact of the protein with ice crystals. The team obtained the results through
a combination of terahertz spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulations.