1. Case Study
Subzero temperatures span across the prairie.
Animals hibernate, grow winter coats, or fly
south to warmer climate zones.
Goldenrod gall moth larvae survive harsh
winters in the stem galls of goldenrod plants.
4. Cryoprotectant
• Macromolecules, like Glycerol, are used
to protect tissues from freezing
• As ice forms outside the cell, water leaves
the cell to dilute the higher
concentrations of solutes
• Cryoprotectants prevent all the water
from leaving by increasing the
concentration of solutes inside the cell
5. Glycogen to Glycerol
• Larvae prepare for winter by
consuming large quantities of plants
• Low temperatures initiate
accumulation of glycogen
• Glycerol is easily synthesized from
glycogen storages
• Metabolism Pathway of glucose to
glycerol is shown in the diagram
https://openi.nlm.nih.gov/detailedresult.php?img=
PMC2712079_pone.0006394.g004&req=4
6. Glycerol
•Glycerol has three hydroxyl groups
That hydrogen bond to water
•This binding of glycerol to water reduces
the amount ice
crystals that form inside the cells
https://www.quora.com/Why-
does-glycerol-retain-water
7. Anti Freeze Proteins
•Lower freezing point
•Protect cell from ice
damage
•Used in food industry
https://pdb101.rcsb.org/motm/120
8. Anti-Freeze Proteins
• The lighter blue areas on
these proteins represent
the water binding sites
• Anti-Freeze Proteins bind
to the water in the
extracellular matrix
• This prevents large ice
crystals to form in freeze
avoiding fish and insects
https://pdb101.rcsb.org/motm/120
9. Freeze-Avoiding Gall Moth
•Freeze-Avoiding Insects, like the Goldenrod Gall Moth,
can not survive with large amounts of ice crystals
intracellularly and/or extracellularly
•Glycerol binds to the water inside the cell to prevent ice
crystals
•In addition, anti-freeze proteins, such as Protein Kinase
prevent cell death
10. REFERENCES
"PDB-101: Antifreeze Proteins". Pdb101.rcsb.org. N.p., 2016. Web. 16 Dec. 2016.
Pfister,T.D and K.B Storey. "Protein Kinase A: Purification And Characterization Of
The Enzyme FromTwo Cold-Hardy Goldenrod Gall Insects". Insect Biochemistry and
Molecular Biology 32.5 (2002): 505-515.Web.
TOLLAROVA, Michaela. "Seasonal Activity-Profiles Of Enzymes Involved In
Cryoprotectant Biosynthesis In Pyrrhocoris Apterus (Heteroptera: Pyrrhocoridae)".
European Journal of Entomology 105.1 (2008): 149-152.Web.