ice-minus
Microbiology
adjective
(Chiefly attributive) designating a (genetically modified) strain of the bacterium Pseudomonas syringae lacking the ability to produce a particular protein which acts as a nucleation centre for ice crystals.
- P. syringae is a naturally occurring bacterium and is commonly present on plant surfaces; in cold weather, the ice formation it causes leads to crop damage..
Origin
1980s; earliest use found in Nature: a weekly journal of science.