Abstract
Cryoprotectants such as antifreeze proteins (AFPs) and sugar molecules may provide a solution for icing problems. These anti-icing substances protect cells and tissues from freezing by inhibiting ice formation. In this study, we developed a method for coating an industrial metal material (aluminum, Al) with AFP from the Antarctic marine diatom, Chaetoceros neogracile (Cn-AFP), to prevent or delay ice formation. To coat Al with Cn-AFP, we used an Al-binding peptide (ABP) as a conjugator and fused it with Cn-AFP. The ABP bound well to the Al and did not considerably change the functional properties of AFP. Cn-AFP-coated Al (Cn-AFP-Al) showed a sufficiently low supercooling point. Additional trehalose coating of Cn-AFP-Al considerably delayed AFP denaturation on the Al without affecting its antifreeze activity. This metal surface–coating method using trehalose-fortified AFP can be applied to other metals important in the aircraft and cold storage fields where anti-icing materials are critical.
Highlights
Ice formation is a major problem in industries and applications such as air conditioners, transportation, and power generation[1,2,3,4], because it reduces the cold resistance of equipment, leading to high energy loss[4]
To produce aluminum-binding Cn-antifreeze proteins (AFPs), we fused its N-terminus with an Al-binding peptide (ABP) sequence (VPSSGPQDTRTT), which was previously identified via the phage display method[22]
Taking into consideration that the supercooling point of AFP from the beetle Dendroides canadensis ranges from −16 to −26 °C24, this result indicates that ABP-Cn-AFPG124Y, despite a reduction in its thermal hysteresis (TH) value, has antifreeze activity
Summary
Ice formation is a major problem in industries and applications such as air conditioners, transportation (including aircraft), and power generation[1,2,3,4], because it reduces the cold resistance of equipment, leading to high energy loss[4] To resolve this problem, surface-coating techniques based on thermal, chemical, and mechanical methods have been implemented to attain anti-icing properties; most of these rely on complicated processes that require expensive equipment and labor-intensive procedures[4]. Surface-coating techniques based on thermal, chemical, and mechanical methods have been implemented to attain anti-icing properties; most of these rely on complicated processes that require expensive equipment and labor-intensive procedures[4] To this end, new cryoprotectants that can be used as effective anti-icing materials have drawn the attention of the food, plant, military, and electronics industries. Given the significant anti-icing potential of AFPs, it is reasonable to expect that a robust method for AFP immobilization on an Al surface will provide new opportunities for producing an anti-icing surface
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