Prof Peter Lillford‐University of Birmingham

摘要

How does the preservation method work?rnA great variety of bacteria, plants and animals express proteins that are capable ofrnnucleating ice crystallization at temperatures close to zero, thereby eliminating underrncooling. Though little structural information is available, it appears that all these proteinsrnpresent a very large, ordered surface conformation that hydrogen bonds water into an icernlattice, thereby initiating crystallisation. It appears that the advantage to bacteria is thatrnslow crystal growth damages the host organism, making nutrients more available afterrnthawing. For freeze tolerant higher organisms, the advantage is to direct ice formation intornextracellular spaces, where less freeze damage occurs, compared to muscle and organrntissue.