昆虫对低温的适应——抗冻蛋白研究进展

昆虫抗冻蛋白的研究主要在几种昆虫中展开，到目前为止已有二十多种昆虫抗冻蛋白被分离纯化。本文综述了关于昆虫抗冻蛋白的结构、组成、生物学活性及功能等方面的研究进展。昆虫抗冻蛋白的二级结构为β折叠和β转角，在其特殊的氨基酸序列结构中，半胱氨酸形成的二硫键对稳定其结构和活性起着很重要的作用。影响昆虫抗冻蛋白的因子，如活化蛋白及低分子量溶质的发现开辟了昆虫抗冻蛋白研究的新领域。

Cold adaptation in insects: progress in antifreeze protein research

Studies on insect antifreeze proteins have focused on several species, so far over twenty antifreeze proteins (AFPs) had been isolated. This paper reviews the present state of knowledge of antifreeze protein structure, composition, bioactivity, biosynthesis and the application of these substances. The secondary structure of AFPs is mainly β-sheet and turns and their most striking feature is the occurance of cysteines every six residues throughout their length. Almost all Cys residues are disulfide-bridged, which imposes significant structural constraints. Understanding the factors that affect AFP activity, such as activating proteins and low molecular solutes, is important for further progress in AFP research.