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Collin Jurrakko and his co-authors have published an article titled “Brachypodium Antifreeze Protein Gene Products Inhibit Ice Recrystallisation, Attenuate Ice Nucleation, and Reduce Immune Response”.

Frost events are responsible for billions of dollars in crop damage and local economies worldwide annually with the frequency and severity increasing due to climate change largely due to ubiquitous ice-nucleating pathogens. We’ve demonstrated the capabilities of a unique antifreeze protein from the grass, Brachypodium distachyon, with dual anti-ice and anti-pathogenic activity in which gene products are able to bind and control the growth of ice crystals so to prevent ice-recrystallization damage to cells, attenuate pathogenic ice nucleation by docking on ice-nucleating proteins, and dampen the energy costly host immune response so as to maintain yields.

Paul Iyare is a recipient of the 2022-23 NSERC CGS-M award. The award helps develop research skills and assists in the training of highly qualified personnel by supporting students who demonstrate a high standard of achievement in early graduate studies.

Congratulations to QE3 student alumni Sam Patterson on his paper “Resilience of larval wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) to hydrocarbons and other compounds released from naturally weathered diluted bitumen in a boreal lake” which has been accepted for publication in Aquatic Toxicology. This paper is from the BOREAL study at IISD-Experimental Lakes Area and represents the 2nd data chapter of Sam’s MES thesis, combined with an Honours thesis from Dan Denton (from the Hasler lab at U. Winnipeg).