Pseudomonas Genome sequencing and assembly. Pseudomonas

Psychrophilic bacteria have developed a wide battery of physiological tools to undergo cold or freezing temperatures such as changes in membrane fluidity, protein synthesis and enzyme kinetics. Psychrophilic bacteria can also avoid ice formation through accumulation of sugars, amino acids or polyhydric alcohols with the consequent depression of freezing point in cellular structures (colligative properties), preventing protein and membrane denaturation. In this context, antifreeze (AF) proteins (also known as ice binding proteins) can also help to tolerate ice formation under extreme cold conditions. Thus psychrophilic bacteria are microorganisms adapted to live in extremely cold or freezing temperatures, and could represent an important source to search and develop natural strategies to ameliorate frost injury in plants.