Open Access

REVIEW

Research Progress on Plant Anti-Freeze Proteins

Zhengyang Zhang^#, Weixue Liu^#, Yinran Huang^*, Ping Li^*

College of Landscape and Tourism, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, 071000, China

* Corresponding Authors: Yinran Huang. Email: ; Ping Li. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Abiotic Stress Impacts on Plant Physiology and Their Alleviation)

Phyton-International Journal of Experimental Botany 2024, 93(6), 1263-1274. https://doi.org/10.32604/phyton.2024.050755

Received 16 February 2024; Accepted 13 May 2024; Issue published 27 June 2024

Abstract

Plant antifreeze proteins (AFPs) are special proteins that can protect plant cells from ice crystal damage in low-temperature environments, and they play a crucial role in the process of plants adapting to cold environments. Proteins with these characteristics have been found in fish living in cold regions, as well as many plants and insects. Although research on plant AFPs started relatively late, their application prospects are broad, leading to the attention of many researchers to the isolation, cloning, and genetic improvement of plant AFP genes. Studies have found that the distribution of AFPs in different species seems to be the result of independent evolutionary events. Unlike the AFPs found in fish and insects, plant AFPs have multiple hydrophilic ice-binding domains, and their recrystallization inhibition activity is about 10–100 times that of fish and insect AFPs. Although different plant AFPs have the characteristics of low TH and high RI, their DNA and amino acid sequences are completely different, with small homology. With in-depth research and analysis of the characteristics and mechanisms of plant AFPs, not only has our understanding of plant antifreeze mechanisms been enriched, but it can also be used to improve crop varieties and enhance their freezing tolerance, yield, and quality through genetic engineering. In addition, the study of plant AFPs also contributes to our understanding of freezing resistance mechanisms in other organisms and provides new research directions for the field of biotechnology. Therefore, based on the analysis of relevant literature, this article will delve into the concepts, characteristics, research methods, and mechanisms of plant AFPs, summarize the latest research progress and application prospects of AFPs in plant, and provide prospects for the future development of AFP gene research.

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