Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) refer to a class of polypeptides produced by some
animals, plants and bacteria that permit their survival in environments with
sub-zero temperature. AFPs play an important role in modifying the shape of
ice crystals, inhibition of ice growth and repression of recrystallization.
A group of scientists from Xianjiang University in China developed cold
tolerant transgenic tobacco plants overexpressing a beetle AFP. Low
temperature is one of the limiting factors in the growth, productivity and
distribution of plants. Higher yields could be achieved either by improving
the freezing tolerance of a crop, or by increasing the survival of freezing
sensitive plants following light frosts.

The researchers observed that the AFP encoded by MpAFP149 was mainly
distributed on the cell wall (in the apoplastic space) of the transgenic
tobacco plants. Compared with wild type tobacco, the transgenic plants
preserved the integrity of their cell membrane when grown at -1°C for 3
days. The scientists are now looking for ways to introduce the gene into
cold sensitive crops such as potato and tomato.

Read the paper published by Plant Cell Reports at
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