Abstract
Bacterial ice nucleators (INs) are among the most effective ice nucleators known and are relevant for freezing processes in agriculture, the atmosphere, and the biosphere. Their ability to facilitate ice formation is due to specialized ice-nucleating proteins (INPs) anchored to the outer bacterial cell membrane, enabling the crystallization of water at temperatures up to −2 °C. In this Perspective, we highlight the importance of functional aggregation of INPs for the exceptionally high ice nucleation activity of bacterial ice nucleators. We emphasize that the bacterial cell membrane, as well as environmental conditions, is crucial for a precise functional INP aggregation. Interdisciplinary approaches combining high-throughput droplet freezing assays with advanced physicochemical tools and protein biochemistry are needed to link changes in protein structure or protein–water interactions with changes on the functional level.
Highlights
Freezing processes in the atmosphere have a significant influence on the formation of clouds, on precipitation patterns, and on Earth’s energy balance.[1,2] Homogeneous ice nucleation at a given temperature requires a certain number of ice-like water molecules
While mineral dust-based ice nucleators (INs) play a major role in the atmosphere owing to their ubiquity, the ice nucleation efficiency of biological INs derived from bacteria, fungi, lichen, or plants is much higher.[5]
Measurements shown in Figure 2A correspond to the spectra of Figure 2 shows freezing spectra of bacterial ice nucleators from P. syringae under different environmental conditions
Summary
Freezing processes in the atmosphere have a significant influence on the formation of clouds, on precipitation patterns, and on Earth’s energy balance.[1,2] Homogeneous ice nucleation at a given temperature requires a certain number of ice-like water molecules. While mineral dust-based INs (e.g., feldspars, silicates, clay minerals) play a major role in the atmosphere owing to their ubiquity, the ice nucleation efficiency of biological INs derived from bacteria, fungi, lichen, or plants is much higher.[5] Despite its significance and the acceleration of research in this field in recent years, several questions on the molecular-level mechanisms of heterogeneous ice nucleation remain unanswered. This makes it difficult to predict the decisive properties of efficient INs and their role in the environment. Understanding such molecularlevel mechanisms could point to novel ways of triggering ice nucleation, desirable for artificial snow, for instance, and for new artificial anti-icing surfaces.[10−12]
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