Cloning, expression, characterization, and applications of arctic pseudomonas putida origin (AFPA) antifreeze protein

Official URL: https://risc01.sabanciuniv.edu/record=b3152449_(Table of contents)

Ice formation on a solid surface is a major challenge in industrial applications, it causes higher energy consumption and performance deterioration, and might lead to catastrophic results. The preparation of anti-icing surfaces to prohibit ice accumulation on a surface is crucial to reduce operational costs and extend the surface's lifetime. The utilization of cryoprotectants to obtain anti-icing surfaces is an effective method and is applicable in multiple fields. Antifreeze proteins (AFPs) are natural cryoprotectants to obtain anti-icing surfaces having the ability to decrease the freezing point and prevent ice-crystal growth via thermal hysteresis (TH) and Ice Recrystallization Inhibition (IRI). This thesis reports the molecular cloning, expression, and production of AFP from E. coli via recombinant protein technology. Subsequently, produced recombinant AFPs were immobilized on aluminum surfaces by oxygen plasma to activate surface functional groups on aluminum. The anti-icing activity of the developed recombinant AFP-immobilized aluminum surfaces was evaluated. As a result, the novel coated AFP exhibited promising antifreeze activity with a high degree of anti-icing ability on aluminum surfaces. The outcome of this study provides new insight into the biotechnological application of antifreeze proteins for various industrial applications for energy-saving and higher performance.