Margesin, R., Neuner, G. and Storey, K.B. 2007. Cold-loving microbes, plants and animals – fundamental and applied aspects. Naturwissenschaften 94, 77-99.

Cold-loving microbes, plants and animals – fundamental and applied aspects

Rosa Margesin, G. Neuner and Kenneth B. Storey

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Abstract

Microorganisms, plants, and animals have successfully colonized cold environments, which represent the majority of the biosphere on Earth. They have evolved special mechanisms to overcome the life-endangering influence of low temperature and to survive freezing. Cold adaptation includes a complex range of structural and functional adaptations at the level of all cellular constituents, such as membranes, proteins, metabolic activity, and mechanisms to avoid the destructive effect of intracellular ice formation. These strategies offer multiple biotechnological applications of cold-adapted organisms and/or their products in various fields. In this review, we describe the mechanisms of microorganisms, plants, and animals to cope with the cold and the resulting biotechnological perspectives.