Antifreeze molecules in Nototheniid fish around Davis Station, Antarctica

A report completed as part of this project is available for download from the URL given below. Extracts of the report are presented in the metadata record.See the report for full details.Several species of Antarctic fish were collected from the shallow waters off Davis Station during the 2000-01 season as part of a study examining the properties of 'antifreeze' proteins contained within the blood of these animals. Fish were sampled at regular intervals from a range of depths and various sites near the station.The main objectives of the study were to collect serum and selected tissues from Nototheniid (cod) and Channichthyid (ice fish) species. Over 170 fish were collected throughout the calendar year. Samples were taken as required, processed and the fish preserved for further analysis on return to Australia. In Australia the serum will be tested for special antifreeze molecules that allow these animals to live in water that is colder than the usual freezing point of their body fluids. Such molecules, once identified, may be synthesised in a laboratory, and have numerous potential practical applications, from the preservation of frozen foods, to preservation of blood plasma and organs for human transplant. Analyses of this nature will be undertaken at the University of Sydney.

本项目产出的一份研究报告可通过下述链接下载，报告节选已收录于元数据记录中，完整细节请参阅原报告。
2000-2001年度，本研究于戴维斯站（Davis Station）附近浅海海域采集了多种南极鱼类，旨在探究其血液中所含“抗冻”蛋白的特性。研究人员在该站周边多个站位、不同水深区间内按固定间隔对鱼类进行了采样。
本研究的核心目标为采集南极鱼科（Nototheniid，俗称南极鳕）与冰鱼科（Channichthyid，俗称冰鱼）物种的血清及选定组织。整个采样年度内共采集鱼类170余尾。研究人员按需采集样本并进行预处理，将鱼类标本保存以便返回澳大利亚后开展后续分析。
在澳大利亚境内，研究人员将对血清进行检测，以寻找能让这些鱼类在低于其体液常规冰点的海水中存活的特殊抗冻分子。这类分子一旦被鉴定出来，即可通过实验室合成，其潜在应用场景广泛，涵盖冷冻食品保鲜、人体移植用血浆及器官保存等诸多领域。相关分析工作将在悉尼大学（University of Sydney）开展。