Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 24, 2026

Using Caenorhabditis elegans as a Model System to Study Protein Homeostasis in a Multicellular Organism
Published on: December 18, 2013
Expression of Ice-Binding Proteins in Caenorhabditis elegans Improves the Survival Rate upon Cold Shock and during
Masahiro Kuramochi1,2,3, Chiaki Takanashi4,5, Akari Yamauchi6,7
1Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, 277-8561, Japan. masahiro-kuramochi@edu.k.u-tokyo.ac.jp.
Abstract:
Ice-binding proteins (IBPs) are capable of binding ice crystals and inhibiting their growth at freezing temperatures. IBPs are also thought to stabilize the cell membrane at non-freezing temperatures near 0 °C. These two effects have been assumed to reduce cold- and freezing-induced damage to cells and tissues. However, knowledge regarding the effects of IBP on the living animals is limited. Here, we characterized the relationship between the IBP effects and the physiological role by using the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. The expression of fish (NfeIBPs)- and fungus-derived IBPs (AnpIBPs and TisIBP8) in C. elegans improved its survival rate during exposure to 0 and -2 °C (cold shock) and -5 °C (freezing). The observed cold tolerance of C. elegans after cold shock is attributable to the stabilization of cell-membrane lipids with IBPs, and the freezing tolerance at -5 °C can be attributed to the inhibition of ice-crystal growth by the IBPs. Significantly, the survival rate of C. elegans at -5 °C was improved by expression of wild-type AnpIBP and maximized by that of TisIBP8, whereas it was lowered when a defective AnpIBP mutant was expressed. These results suggest that the ice-binding ability of IBP has a good correlation with the survival rate of C. elegans during freezing.
More Related Videos
09:43Identification of Plant Ice-binding Proteins Through Assessment of Ice-recrystallization Inhibition and Isolation Using Ice-affinity Purification
Published on: May 5, 2017
06:01Standardized Methods for Measuring Induction of the Heat Shock Response in Caenorhabditis elegans
Published on: July 3, 2020
Related Concept Videos
Responses to Heat and Cold Stress
The Equilibrium Binding Constant and Binding Strength
Factors Affecting Protein-Drug Binding: Protein-Related Factors
The physicochemical properties of a drug play a significant role in its ability to bind to proteins. Lipophilic drugs, which dissolve in fats, oils, and lipids, can be...
Phase Transitions: Melting and Freezing
Ligand Binding and Linkage
Protein-Drug Binding: Determination Methods
Indirect methods involve isolating the bound drug from its free form in biological samples such as blood, serum, or plasma. These techniques aim to measure the percentage of drugs bound to proteins. Equilibrium dialysis is a commonly used method where the free drug concentration at equilibrium is measured by separating the bound...