Discipline: Chemistry and Chemical Sciences
Subcategory: Biochemistry (not Cell and Molecular Biology and Genetics)
Rebecca Vargas - California State University, Los Angeles
Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) are known for playing a protective role in keeping organisms, such as fish and insects, from freezing during extreme weather. Previous studies have demonstrated that the transcripts of AFP genes are in a summer desert beetle Microdera punctipennis and the AFPs (MpAFPs) have a thermal protective function, suggesting that these AFPs have a novel protective mechanism. The widely studied AFPs from cold-adapted beetles, such as the AFPs from Dendroides canadensis (DAFP) and Tenebrio molitor (TmAFP) are found at high levels in the winter hemolymphs and have very similar to that of MpAFP.
We hypothesize that the beetle AFPs having very similar structures to MpAFPs (e.g., DAFP and TmAFP) will exhibit similar behaviors as MpAFPs and further protect the enzyme of interest by exploiting novel roles of AFPs. DAFP and TmAFP will be purified and isolated using our previously published procedures. Standard enzymatic assays will be performed on model enzymes, such as lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and alcohol dehydrogenases (ADH), before and after thermal treatments at different temperatures (e.g., 42, 50 and and 65°C). Then the enzyme activity will also be measured after the above mentioned thermal treatments in the presence of the AFPs. The data will be compared and analyzed and the effects of the AFPs on the thermal inhibition of the enzymes will be demonstrated. The thermal protective mechanism by the AFPs will be discussed and suggested in this work.
Not SubmittedFunder Acknowledgement(s): This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant # HRD-1463889.
Faculty Advisor: Xin Wen, xwen3@calstatela.edu