Award Abstract #0231006
Antifreeze Proteins in Antarctic Fishes: Integrated Studies of Freezing Environments and Organismal Freezing Avoidance, Protein Structure-Function and Mechanism, Genes & Evolution

NSF Org:	ANT Antarctic Sciences Division
Initial Amendment Date:	April 29, 2003
Latest Amendment Date:	May 15, 2005
Award Number:	0231006
Award Instrument:	Continuing grant
Program Manager:	Roberta L. Marinelli ANT Antarctic Sciences Division OPP Office of Polar Programs
Start Date:	July 1, 2003
Expires:	June 30, 2007 (Estimated)
Awarded Amount to Date:	$729833
Investigator(s):	Arthur DeVries adevries@uiuc.edu (Principal Investigator) Chi-Hing Cheng (Co-Principal Investigator)
Sponsor:	University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign SUITE A CHAMPAIGN, IL 61820 217/333-2187
NSF Program(s):	FRONTIERS IN POLAR GENOMICS, ANTARCTIC ORGANISMS & ECOSYST
Field Application(s):	0204000 Oceanography, 0311000 Polar Programs-Related
Program Reference Code(s):	EGCH,9169
Program Element Code(s):	7284,5111

ABSTRACT

This project includes on-going and new studies on the role of antifreeze glycoproteins (AFGPs) and a new antifreeze potentiating protein (AFPP) in the freezing avoidance of Antarctic fishes, their eggs and larvae in the freezing Antarctic environment. The specific areas of research to be investigated are: (1) the rate of uptake of endogenous ice by ice-free specimens; (2) structure of AFPP and the mechanism whereby it potentiates the antifreeze activity of the large AFGPs, but not the small ones; (3) structure-function elucidation of eel pout AFP through directed-evolution methodologies; (4) mechanism of freezing avoidance in embryos and young larval fish, and the temporal aspects of AFGP and AFPP expression during embryogenesis; (5) comprehensive analyses of the antifreeze capacity at both the protein and gene levels across the suborder Notothenioidei; (6) evolution of the AFGP gene family and gene locus; (7) evolution of AFPP; and (8) origin of the Patagonotothen lineage, the largest clade of non-Antarctic nototheniids who are close relatives to the endemic Antarctic notothenioid species. Extreme cold and icy conditions of the McMurdo Sound marine environment arise from its association with the massive Ross Ice Shelf and the influence of cold shelf water. To elucidate the relationship between the McMurdo environment and ice exposure in the local fish population, parallel physical measurements of the depth and extent of ice formation in various microenvironments in the Sound will be conducted and biological experiments will be completed to determine ice load in fish at these locations by measuring the number of ice crystals in their spleens, as well as the rate of ice entry into fish. These studies will ascertain the relationship between the degree of environmental extremes and the ice load in fish.

This project has extensive international collaborations and findings may have broad implications for agriculture, food science, and cryomedicine. Public outreach and training of graduate and undergraduate students are integral components of the planned work.

PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH

(Showing: 1 - 19 of 19).

Cheng, C.-H.C. and Detrich, H.W.III..  "Molecular ecophysiology of Antarctic notothenioid fishes.,"  Phil. Trans. Roy. Soc. Lond. Series B.,  2007, 

Cheng, C.-H.C., Chen, L., Near, T. J., and Jin, Y..  "Functional antifreeze glycoprotein genes in temperate-water New Zealand Nototheniid fish infer an Antarctic origin.,"  Mol. Biol. Evol.,  v.20,  2003,  p. 1897.

Cheng, C.-H.C., Cziko, P.A., and Evans, C.W..  "Non-Hepatic origin of notothenioid antifreeze reveals pancreatic synthesis as common mechanism in polar fish freezing avoidance.,"  Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.,  v.103,  2006,  p. 10491.

Cziko, P.A. and Cheng, C.-H.C..  "A new species of nototheniid (Perciformes: Notothenioidei) fish from McMurdo Sound, Antarctica.,"  Copeia,  v.4,  2006,  p. 752.

Cziko, PA; Evans, CW; Cheng, CHC; DeVries, AL.  "Freezing resistance of antifreeze-deficient larval Antarctic fish,"  JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY,  v.209,  2006,  p. 407 - 420.  

Evans, C.L., Pace, L., Cziko, P., Marsh, A.G., Cheng, C.-H.C. and DeVries, A.L..  "Metabolic energy utilization during development of Antarctic naked dragonfish (Gymnodraco acuticeps).,"  Polar Biology,  v.29,  2005,  p. 518-.

Evans, C.W., Cziko, P., Cheng, C-H.C, DeVries, A.L..  "Spawning behaviour and early development in the naked dragonfish Gymnodraco acuticeps.,"  Antarctic Science,  v.17,  2005,  p. 319.

Evans, CW; Pace, L; Cziko, PA; Marsh, AG; Cheng, CHC; DeVries, AL.  "Metabolic energy utilization during development of Antarctic naked dragonfish (Gymnodraco acuticeps),"  POLAR BIOLOGY,  v.29,  2006,  p. 519 - 525.  

Ghigliotti, L., Mazzei, F., Ozouf-Costaz ,C., Bonillo, C., Williams, R., Cheng, C.-H. C., and Pisano, E..  "The two giant sister species of the Southern Ocean, Dissostichus eleginoides and Dissostichus mawsoni, differ in karyotype and chromosomal pattern of ribosomal RNA genes.,"  Polar Biology,  v.30,  2007,  p. 625.

Horn, P.L., Sutton, S.P. and DeVries, A.L..  "Evidence to support the annual formation of growth zones in otoliths of Atnarctic toothfish (Dissostichus mawsoni).,"  CCAML Science,  v.10,  2003,  p. 125.

Hunt, B., Hoefling, K., and Cheng, C.-H.C..  "Annual warming episodes in seawater temperatures in McMurdo Sound in relationship to endogenous ice in notothenioid fish.,"  Antarct. Sci.,  v.15,  2003,  p. 333.

Jin, Y. and DeVries, A.L..  "Antifreeze glycoprotein levels in Antarctic Notothenioid fishes inhabiting different thermal environments and the effect of warm acclimation.,"  Comp. Biochem. Physiol.,  v.144B,  2006,  p. 290.

Kiss, A.J., Mirarefi, A. Y., Ramakrishnan, S., Zukoski, C., DeVries, A.L., and Cheng, C.-H.C..  "Cold Stable Eye Lens Crystallins of the Antarctic Nototheniid Toothfish Dissostichus mawsoni (Norman),"  J. Exp. Biol.,  v.207,  2004,  p. 4633.

Ko, T.P., Robinson, H., Gao, Y.-G., Cheng, C.-H.C., DeVries, A.L., and Wang, A.H.-J..  "The refined crystal structure of an eel pout Type III antifreeze protein RD1 at 0.62A resolution reveals structural microheterogeneity of protein and solvation.,"  Biophys. J.,  v.84,  2003,  p. 1228.

Near, T.J., Pesavento, J.J., and Cheng, C.-H.C..  "Mitochondrial DNA, morphology, and the phylogenetic relationships of Antarctic icefishes (Notothenioidei: Channichthyidae).,"  Mol. Phylogenet. Evol.,  v.28,  2003,  p. 87.

Near, T.J., Pesavento, J.J., and Cheng, C.-H.C..  "Phylogenetic investigations of Antarctic notothenioid fishes (Perciformes: Notothenioidei) using complete gene sequences of the mitochondrial encoded 16S rRNA.,"  Mol. Phylogenet. Evol.,  v.32,  2004,  p. 881.

Pointer, M.A., Cheng, C.-H.C., Bowmaker, J.K., Parry, Soto, N., J.W.L., Jeffery, G., Cowing, J.A, and Hunt, D.M..  "Adaptations to an extreme environment: retinal organisation and spectral properties of photoreceptors in Antarctic notothenioid fish.,"  J. Exp. Biol.,  v.208,  2005,  p. 2363.

Ramløv, H., DeVries, A.L. and Wilson, P.W..  "Antifreeze glycoproteins from the Antarctic fish, Dissostichus mawsoni studied by differential scanning calorimetery (DSC) in combination with nanolitre osmometry.,"  Cryoletters,  v.26,  2005,  p. 73.

Romisch, K. Collie, N., Soto, N., Logue, J., Lindsay, M. Scheper, W., and Cheng, C.-H.C..  "Protein translocation across the endoplasmic reticulum membrane in cold-adapted organisms,"  J Cell Sci.,  v.116,  2003,  p. 2875.


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