Structure and mode of action of glycoproteins from an antarctic fish

Synthetic Antifreeze Glycoproteins with Potent Ice-Binding Activity

Antifreeze glycoproteins (AFGPs) are produced by extremophiles to defend against tissue damage in freezing climates. Cumbersome isolation from polar fish has limited probing AFGP molecular mechanisms of action and limited development of bioinspired cryoprotectants for application in agriculture, foods, coatings, and biomedicine. Here, we present a rapid, scalable, and tunable route to synthetic AFGPs (sAFGPs) using N-carboxyanhydride polymerization. Our materials are the first mimics to harness the molecular size, chemical motifs, and long-range conformation of native AFGPs. We found that ice-binding activity increases with chain length, Ala is a key residue, and the native protein sequence is not required. The glycan structure had only minor effects, and all glycans examined displayed antifreeze activity. The sAFGPs are biodegradable, nontoxic, internalized into endocytosing cells, and bystanders in cryopreservation of human red blood cells. Overall, our sAFGPs functioned as surrogates for bona fide AFGPs, solving a long-standing challenge in accessing natural antifreeze materials.

Ice Recrystallization Inhibition Is Insufficient to Explain Cryopreservation Abilities of Antifreeze Proteins

Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) and glycoproteins (AFGPs) are exemplary at modifying ice crystal growth and at inhibiting ice recrystallization (IRI) in frozen solutions. These properties make them highly attractive for cold storage and cryopreservation applications of biological tissue, food, and other water-based materials. The specific requirements for optimal cryostorage remain unknown, but high IRI activity has been proposed to be crucial. Here, we show that high IRI activity alone is insufficient to explain the beneficial effects of AF(G)Ps on human red blood cell (hRBC) survival. We show that AF(G)Ps with different IRI activities cause similar cell recoveries of hRBCs and that a modified AFGP variant with decreased IRI activity shows increased cell recovery. The AFGP variant was found to have enhanced interactions with a hRBC model membrane, indicating that the capability to stabilize cell membranes is another important factor for increasing the survival of cells after cryostorage. This information should be considered when designing novel synthetic cryoprotectants.

Disaccharide Residues are Required for Native Antifreeze Glycoprotein Activity

Antifreeze glycoproteins (AFGPs) are able to bind to ice, halt its growth, and are the most potent inhibitors of ice recrystallization known. The structural basis for AFGP’s unique properties remains largely elusive. Here we determined the antifreeze activities of AFGP variants that we constructed by chemically modifying the hydroxyl groups of the disaccharide of natural AFGPs. Using nuclear magnetic resonance, two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy, and circular dichroism, the expected modifications were confirmed as well as their effect on AFGPs solution structure. We find that the presence of all the hydroxyls on the disaccharides is a requirement for the native AFGP hysteresis as well as the maximal inhibition of ice recrystallization. The saccharide hydroxyls are apparently as important as the acetyl group on the galactosamine, the α-linkage between the disaccharide and threonine, and the methyl groups on the threonine and alanine. We conclude that the use of hydrogen-bonding through the hydroxyl groups of the disaccharide and hydrophobic interactions through the polypeptide backbone are equally important in promoting the antifreeze activities observed in the native AFGPs. These important criteria should be considered when designing synthetic mimics.

Inhibition of Bacterial Ice Nucleators Is Not an Intrinsic Property of Antifreeze Proteins

Cold-adapted organisms use antifreeze proteins (AFPs) or ice-nucleating proteins (INPs) for the survival in freezing habitats. AFPs have been reported to be able to inhibit the activity of INPs, a property that would be of great physiological relevance. The generality of this effect is not understood, and for the few known examples of INP inhibition by AFPs, the molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we report a comprehensive evaluation of the effects of five different AFPs on the activity of bacterial ice nucleators using a high-throughput ice nucleation assay. We find that bacterial INPs are inhibited by certain AFPs, while others show no effect. Thus, the ability to inhibit the activity of INPs is not an intrinsic property of AFPs, and the interactions of INPs and different AFPs proceed through protein-specific rather than universal molecular mechanisms.

Novel Phosphopeptides as Surface-Active Agents in Iron Nanoparticle Synthesis

We report the dramatic effect of rationally-designed phosphopeptides on the size and shape of iron-iron oxide core-shell nanoparticles prepared in a one-pot synthesis by sodium borohydride reduction of an iron salt. These phosphopeptides are effective at small ratios of peptide to metal, in contrast to the behaviour of conventional capping agents, which must be added at high concentration to control the particle growth.

Isolation and characterization of cDNA clones encoding antifreeze proteins of the pyrochroid beetle Dendroides canadensis

Temporal differences in the expression of Dendroides canadensis antifreeze protein (DAFP) are indicated from seasonal comparison of dafp-1 transcript level, thermal hysteresis activity and temperature changes. DAFP-1 transcript abundance correlates with the thermal hysteresis activity level in late fall/early winter and appears to follow overall seasonal temperature changes with peak transcript levels occurring in December. A cDNA library created from December larvae yielded clones encoding a set of novel putative DAFPs. Some of the cDNA clones isolated display significant divergence at the primary amino acid level, yet, maintain conservation of key residues that are presumably important for structure and function of antifreeze proteins in this cold-hardy organism. Seasonal analysis of two dafps (dafp-1 and dafp-7) revealed differences on the transcriptional level, suggesting that DAFPs may serve somewhat different functions.

Purification and characterization of a thermal hysteresis protein from a plant, the bittersweet nightshade Solanum dulcamara

Thermal hysteresis proteins (THPs), which depress the freezing point of water below the melting point (producing a characteristic thermal hysteresis), are well known for their antifreeze activity in both fish and terrestrial arthropods, but have only recently been identified in plants. This study describes the purification of a THP from winter-collected bittersweet nightshade, Solanum dulcamara, using ion exchange and preparative 'free flow' isoelectric focusing. The THP has a molecular mass of 67 kDa (considerably larger than those of animal THPs), and an unusually high glycine component (23.7 mol%). Treatments of the THP with periodate or borate caused inactivation, suggesting the presence of carbohydrate. More specific treatments directed at galactose (beta-galactosidase or Abrus precatorius lectin) also resulted in inactivation, indicating that galactose is present. A thermal hysteresis activity versus THP concentration curve showed that the specific activity of the S. dulcamara THP is lower than that of any known animal THP. The functional significance of this low activity is discussed.

An antifreeze glycopeptide gene from the antarctic cod Notothenia coriiceps neglecta encodes a polyprotein of high peptide copy number

The antarctic fish Notothenia coriiceps neglecta synthesizes eight antifreeze glycopeptides (AFGP 1-8; Mr 2600-34,000) to avoid freezing in its ice-laden freezing habitat. We report here the sequence of one of its AFGP genes. The structural gene contains 46 tandemly repeated segments, each encoding one AFGP peptide plus a 3-amino acid spacer. Most of the repeats (44/46) code for peptides of AFGP 8; the remaining 2 code for peptides of AFGP 7. At least 2 of the 3 amino acids in the spacers could act as substrate for chymotrypsin-like proteases. The nucleotide sequence between the translation initiation codon (ATG) and the first AFGP-coding segment is G + T-rich and encodes a presumptive 37-residue signal peptide of unusual sequence. Primer extension establishes the transcription start site at nucleotide 43 upstream from ATG. CAAT and TATA boxes begin at nucleotides 53 and 49, respectively, upstream from the transcription start site. The polyadenylylation signal, AATAAA, is located approximately 240 nucleotides downstream from the termination codon. A mRNA (approximately 3 kilobases) was found that matches the size of this AFGP gene. Thus, this AFGP gene encodes a secreted, high-copy-number polyprotein that is processed posttranslationally to produce active AFGPs.

Primary and secondary structure of antifreeze peptides from arctic and antarctic zoarcid fishes

Antifreeze peptides were isolated from Rhigophila dearborni, an antarctic eel pout, and Lycodes polaris, an arctic eel pout (both from the family Zoarcidae). The primary structures of two peptides, one from each species, were determined using a combination of Edman degradation and mass spectrometric techniques. The two sequences show a high degree of homology with nearly 80% of the residues being identical. These peptides are also homologous to antifreeze peptides from a third eel pout which inhabits the north Atlantic Ocean. The CD spectra of all of these peptides are also very similar. Unlike the antifreeze peptides of cottid fishes, the structures of antifreeze peptides from zoarcid fishes appear to be highly conserved, despite the large geographic distances which separate the different species. The zoarcid peptides also appear to have structures very different from other fish antifreezes.

Relationship of amino acid composition and molecular weight of antifreeze glycopeptides to non-colligative freezing point depression

Many polar fishes synthesize a group of eight glycopeptides that exhibit a non-colligative lowering of the freezing point of water. These glycopeptides range in molecular weight between 2600 and 33 700. The largest glycopeptides [1-5] lower the freezing point more than the small ones on a weight basis and contain only two amino acids, alanine and threonine, with the disaccharide galactose-N-acetyl-galactosamine attached to threonine. The small glycopeptides, 6, 7, and 8, also lower the freezing point and contain proline, which periodically substitutes for alanine. Glycopeptides with similar antifreeze properties isolated from the saffron cod and the Atlantic tomcod contain an additional amino acid, arginine, which substitutes for threonine in glycopeptide 6. In this study we address the question of whether differences in amino acid composition or molecular weight between large and small glycopeptides are responsible for the reduced freezing point depressing capability of the low molecular weight glycopeptides. The results indicate that the degree of amino acid substitutions that occur in glycopeptides 6-8 do not have a significant effect on the unusual freezing point lowering and that the observed decrease in freezing point depression with smaller glycopeptides can be accounted for on the basis of molecular weight.

Structure of a peptide antifreeze and mechanism of adsorption to ice

Sequence studies of an alpha-helical peptide antifreeze isolated from winter flounder have revealed the presence of clusters of polar amino acids separated by long sequences of alanine. Most of the polar residues are threonine and aspartate and are separated by 4.5 A, a repeat distance that also separates the oxygens in the ice lattice along the a-axis of an ice crystal. Such a lattice match suggests that the peptide binds to ice by means of hydrogen binding.

Variations in macromolecular antifreeze levels in larvae of the darkling beetle, Meracantha contracta

Overwintering larvae of the darkling beetle, Meracantha contracta, produce a macromolecular antifreeze that is similar in activity to the glycoproteinaceous and proteinaceous antifreezes found in some cold-water, marine teleost fishes. The antifreeze is not present in the hemolymph of the Meracantha larvae in summer, but its production begins by late September in the wild population. The antifreeze reaches a maximum concentration in February, decreases slowly through spring, and disappears by early June. The supercooling points of the larvae are lowest in February, when the antifreeze levels are highest, and increase as the antifreeze concentrations in the hemolymph decrease in the spring. Larvae collected in mid-February and warm-acclimated lost the antifreeze with-in 12 days. Larvae collected in early September and cold-acclimated required nearly two months to produce concentrations of antifreeze comparable to those of overwintering larvae. Temperature seems to be the major environmental factor responsible for the control of antifreeze levels in Meracantha; however, other environmental factors may also be involved.

The covalent linkage of protein to carbohydrate in the extracellular protein-polysaccharide from the red alga Porphyridium cruentum

The extracellular anionic polysaccharide isolated from cultures of a unicellular red alga, Porphyridium cruentum, contains a small amount of protein after extensive purification. The polysaccharide and protein are recovered in the same fraction after isopycnic CsCl-density-gradient centrifugation in 4M-guanidinium chloride, under conditions designed to separate proteins from polysaccharide. The peptide portion of the protein-polysaccharide is released from the polysaccharide by alkali under conditions for beta-elimination. The released peptide is non-diffusible, but in can be separated from the polysaccharide by precipitation of the polysaccharide as the cetylpyridinium complex. Under conditions for beta-elimination of certain O-glycosidic carbohydrate-protein linkages, selective destruction of serine and threonine occurs. The addition of a reducing agent to the alkali mixture produces a selective increase in alanine and alpha-aminobutyric acid. Addition of a tritiated reducing agent to the alkali mixture produces radioactive alanine and alpha-aminobutyric acid, and xylitol as the only sugar alcohol. Similar results are obtained from glycopeptides isolated from partial acid hydrolysates. A macromolecular structure of the protein-polysaccharide is suggested by a comparison of the intrinsic viscosity of material before and after treatment with alkali and proteolytic enzymes.

Properties of human neutral bronchial mucins after modification of the peptide or the carbohydrate moieties

Trypsin and pronase treatment of purified human neutral bronchial mucins released small fragments from the C-terminal end of these molecules and resulted in slight increases in their sedimentation coefficient presumably reflecting conformational changes. The antigenic determinant of neutral bronchial mucins which appears to be located on this C-terminal fragment is destroyed by pronase or by treatments such as periodate oxidation or galactose oxidase-bromine oxidation which modify the carbohydrate moieties. Thus, both amino acid and carbohydrate residues are involved in the structure of the antigenic determinant.

Glycoprotein and protein antifreezes in two Alaskan fishes

Two macromolecular freezing point depressants have been isolated from the serums of two species of Alaskan fishes. A common property of the four antifreezes thus far isolated is a high alanine content which suggests that the mechanism of these antifreezes may be related to a repeating tripeptide unit.

Differentiation between intracellular and cell surface glycosyl transferases: galactosyl transferase activity in intact cells and in cell homogenate

Intact BHK (baby hamster kidney) cells catalyze the hydrolysis of UDP-galactose to free galactose. The generation of galactose from UDP-galactose and its intracellular utilization impede the detection of possible galactosyl transferases on the cell surface of intact cells. Several independent procedures have been used to distinguish between intracellular and cell surface glycosyl transferases. With these procedures, no evidence was obtained for the presence of detectable amounts of galactosyl transferase activity on the surface of BHK cells. The data suggest that galactosyl transferases do not play a general role in the phenomena of cell adhesion and contact inhibition.