植物抗冻蛋白的研究进展及其应用

The Progresses of Studies on Antifreeze Proteins

抗冻蛋白(antifreezeproteins,AFPs)是一类具有热滞效应和冰晶重结晶抑制效应的蛋白质,它们在受到低温环境胁迫时产生,能够使机体抵御冰冻环境.AFPs已经在多种冰冻耐受机体中发现,包括鱼类、昆虫、陆生节肢动物、细菌、真菌和植物,其中有关植物AFPs的研究起步较晚.综述了植物AFPs的发现,理化性质,组织及细胞定位,生理功能,作用机理,结构模型,及其在农业,医学,食品工业等方面的应用价值.

Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) are a type of proteins, which exhibit thermal hysteresis activity and inhibit the recrystallization of ice. They were induced under environmental stress and can increase the plant resistance to freezing. AFPs have been found in many freezing-tolerant organisms, including fish, insects, terrestrial arthropods, bacteria, fungi and plants. Until now, several AFPs have been isolated and characterized and five full-length AFP cDNAs have been cloned and characterized in high plants. Among these plant AFPs, the amino acid sequences have shown low homology. In addition, it was found that plant AFPs also could be induced by other factors such as drought, ethylene and abscisic acid besides low temperature. In this review, firstly, the discovery, physiological-biochemical characteristics, tissular and cellular localization, physiological functions, mechanism of interactions with ice crystals, structural model of plant AFPs are discussed; secondly, the application of plant AFPs in agriculture, medicine and food industry is also summarized.