Ice nucleation-active (Ina) proteins of bacterial origin comprise three distinct domains, i.e., N-terminal (N-), central repeat (R-), and C-terminal (C-) domains, among which the R-domain is essential, and its length may be correlated with the ice nucleation activity. In addition, the short C-terminal domain of about 50 amino acid residues is indispensable for the activity. Using the Ina U protein of Erwinia uredovora, we carried out precise mutational analyses of its C-terminus. The ice nucleation activity (T50) assay showed that the C-terminal 12 amino acids were not necessary, and a deletion mutant (delta C29) with a new C-terminal, Met29 (numbered from the first amino acid residue of the C-domain and corresponding to Met1022), exhibited almost the same activity as the wild-type Ina U protein did. However, deletion of the C-terminal 13 residues including Met29 resulted in almost complete loss of the activity. In the deletion mutant (delta C29), amino acid replacement of the C-terminus, Met29, showed that the activity was retained when Met29 was replaced with a neutral, aromatic, or basic amino acid (Gly, Phe, or Lys), but was lost on the replacement with an acidic amino acid (Asp or Glu). In addition, two other residues in the C-terminal region commonly present in all Ina proteins were examined as to their importance, and it was shown that one of these residues, Tyr27, is important for the activity, although it is not exclusively required; the activity was lost to a great extent when this residue was replaced with Gly or Ala, but to a lesser extent when it was replaced with Leu. These results suggest that significance of the secondary and/or tertiary structure of the C-terminal region of the Ina U protein for the ice nucleation activity.
