A model of the three-dimensional structure of ice nucleation proteins

Bacterial ice-nucleation proteins are among the most active natural ice nucleants and can reduce the supercooling point of water in plants, thereby reducing the ability of sensitive plants to avoid damaging ice formation. We describe a structural model for bacterial ice-nucleation proteins based on molecular modelling. This model predicts a largely planar extended molecule, with one side serving as a template for orienting water into an ice lattice and the other side interacting with the membrane. The model also predicts that single molecules can form aggregates of unlimited size by interdigitation.