Some fish have proteins that stop their blood from freezing in frigid Arctic waters, and Greenland’s bioluminescent snailfish are packed with them
At first, Gruber and Sparks were intrigued by the snailfish’s known ability to bioluminesce shades of red and green. But when they examined the fish’s DNA, they found the species was hiding another remarkable trick: genes coded for churning out antifreeze proteins.
These special proteins bind to water to limit the size of ice crystal formation, keeping the animal’s blood more like a slushie, instead of frozen solid. Some frogs and lizards can endure partial freezing, but fish and mammal cells can’t survive the damage caused by ice crystals. While researchers have known for decades that some cold-water fish have this antifreeze-producing ability, the variegated snailfish has the highest level of gene expression for the proteins ever reported.
The team looked at the species’ genome – the fish’s genetic material – and the animal’s transcriptome, which indicates the proteins it is making at that point in time.at the University of Illinois who was not involved in the work says she would like to see the team assess levels of antifreeze protein present in the fish’s blood, rather than rely on instructions coded in the species’ genes.
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