Protein shields for dehydration

Many species have the ability to withstand long bouts of dehydration. New findings from Sohini Chakrabortee, Alan Tunnacliffe (University of Cambridge, UK), and colleagues reveal that a family of water-loving proteins in these organisms protects the cell from desiccation-induced protein aggregation.

Desiccation-tolerant organisms as diverse as bacteria, brine shrimp, and plants have in common a family of hydrophilic proteins known as the LEA proteins, which are necessary for survival in dry times. In the new report, a worm LEA protein is shown to inhibit aggregation of the entire worm and human proteomes during desiccation in vitro. It also prevented the aggregation that accompanies rehydration. “That experiment was a watershed,” says Tunnacliffe. “It means the proteins also work in the hydrated states.”

In fully hydrated human cells, a LEA protein hindered aggregation of...