Download MendeleyIce-binding structure and mechanism of an antifreeze protein from winter flounder.
Sicheri, F., Yang, D.S.(1995) Nature 375: 427-431
- PubMed: 7760940
- DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/375427a0
- Primary Citation of Related Structures:
1WFA, 1WFB - PubMed Abstract:
Antifreeze proteins provide fish with protection against the freezing effect of polar environments by binding to ice surfaces and inhibiting growth of ice crystals. We present the X-ray crystal structure at 1.5 A resolution of a lone alpha-helical antifreeze protein from winter flounder, which provides a detailed look at its ice-binding features. These consist of four repeated ice-binding motifs, the side chains of which are inherently rigid or restrained by pair-wise side-chain interactions to form a flat binding surface. Elaborate amino- and carboxy-terminal cap structures are also present, which explain the protein's rich alpha-helical content in solution. We propose an ice-binding model that accounts for the binding specificity of the antifreeze protein along the <0112> axes of the (2021) ice planes.
Organizational Affiliation:
Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Health Science, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
