ABSTRACT
Cold adapted microorganisms play an important role in the biogeochemical cycling and the entire polar food web including terrestrial and aquatic habitats. Cold adapted microorganisms have numerous mechanisms to counter the physiological adversities like alter enzyme kinetics, modulate the membrane fluidity, polymerize microtubules, regularize the permeability of ion channels, and undergo seasonal dormancy. The maintenance of the cellular membrane fluidity is one of the major tasks for the cold-adapted microorganisms as a decrease in temperature causes a reduction in membrane fluidity resulting in loss of its functionality. Cold adapted microorganisms may use additional strategies to cope with low temperatures. Some of the important adaptive features of cold-adapted proteins in comparison to their mesophilic counterparts are summarized below: Cold-adapted microorganisms possess a slower growth rate but higher metabolic rates than their mesophilic counterparts. Antifreeze proteins are proteins that can lower the freezing point, by the adsorption-prevention method.
