Review
Marine & Freshwater Biology
George N. Somero
Summary: Organisms in the seas face various abiotic stressors including temperature, pressure, and salinity, which can disrupt molecular systems necessary for life. Through evolution, nucleic acids and proteins have adaptively modified to function under these conditions. Macromolecular stability is also influenced by changes in solution composition. Micromolecular adaptations involve osmolytes and affect the balance between rigidity and flexibility of macromolecules. These adaptations have important effects on DNA, RNA, proteins, and membranes. Understanding these adaptations can help improve environmental tolerance and design better stabilizers for biological materials.
MARINE LIFE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Anh Tu Van, Veronika Sommer, Karin Glaser
Summary: Changes in water balance pose significant challenges for aeroterrestrial algae, who have various mechanisms to combat osmotic stress and ionic stress. While some algae can adapt to both salt and desiccation stress, such as Stichococcus bacillaris Nageli, others may exhibit variable tolerance levels. The ecological niches of algae are defined by their ability to withstand different environmental stresses.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Qing Zhu, Moli Li, Wei Lu, Yapeng Wang, Xujian Li, Jie Cheng
Summary: Salinity and alkalinity are important factors affecting aquatic animals. Chinese sea bass can adapt to diverse salinities but has limited adaptability to highly alkaline water. This study investigated the transcriptomic responses in the gills of Chinese sea bass exposed to salinity change and alkalinity stress. The results revealed a cascade of cellular responses to oxidative and osmotic stress in the gills, with specific responses to alkalinity stress including disrupted immune and antioxidative functions. These findings provide insights for the development of Chinese sea bass cultivation in alkaline water.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Cell Biology
Abdul Hameed, Muhammad Zaheer Ahmed, Tabassum Hussain, Irfan Aziz, Niaz Ahmad, Bilquees Gul, Brent L. Nielsen
Summary: Salinity is a growing problem affecting soils and agriculture worldwide, disrupting metabolic processes in plant cells and negatively impacting plant development. The effects of salinity on chloroplasts, including changes in structure and function, have significant implications for plant survival, with different mechanisms observed in salt-sensitive and salt-tolerant plants.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Galina S. Baturina, Liubov E. Katkova, Claus Peter Schmitt, Evgeniy Solenov, Sotirios G. Zarogiannis
Summary: In this study, it was found that under hyperosmolar isotonic conditions, primary cultures of rat peritoneal mesothelial cells and rat kidney outer medullary collecting duct (OMCD) principal cells exhibit different cell volume regulation mechanisms in response to urea and myo-inositol. Peritoneal mesothelial cells show regulatory volume decrease (RVD) activation when exposed to isotonic urea inflow, while kidney OMCD cells demonstrate volume restoration with urea inflow. Additionally, both cell types display a significant increase in intracellular calcium in response to isotonic application of the osmolytes.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xi Zhu, Fangfang Wang, Shigui Li, Ya Feng, Jiangwei Yang, Ning Zhang, Huaijun Si
Summary: Calcium-dependent protein kinase StCDPK28 is upregulated in response to water deficiency and osmotic stress, and plays a role in enhancing photosynthetic activity and antioxidant capacity in potato plants.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Forestry
Ismael Aranda, Estrella Cadahia, Brigida Fernandez de Simon
Summary: Osmotic adjustment is a widespread mechanism in response to drought in forest species, but the specific metabolic processes behind this response vary among different Quercus species based on their phylogenetic history and ecology.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ivana Novackova, Vendula Hrabalova, Eva Slaninova, Petr Sedlacek, Ota Samek, Martin Koller, Vladislav Krzyzanek, Kamila Hrubanova, Katerina Mrazova, Jana Nebesarova, Stanislav Obruca
Summary: Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are microbial polyesters that serve as storage compounds for carbon and energy. In addition to their storage function, PHA also plays a role in enhancing microbial cells' resistance to various stressors. This study investigates the role of PHA in Cupriavidus necator, a model organism for PHA metabolism, in adapting to osmotic pressure and copper ions.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Marina Cvjetko Bubalo, Thanos Andreou, Manuela Panic, Mia Radovic, Kristina Radosevic, Ivana Radojcic Redovnikovic
Summary: This study established a connection between osmolytes and deep eutectic solvents, two major research fields that were previously advancing in parallel. We proposed a new model to explain the function of osmolytes based on the formation of deep eutectic systems with emergent and synergistic properties. This bio-inspired approach can be a remarkable tool for studying complex natural systems and engineering sustainable processes.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tahmina Akter Urmi, Md. Moshiul Islam, Kamrun Naher Zumur, Md. Anwarul Abedin, M. Moynul Haque, Manzer H. Siddiqui, Yoshiyuki Murata, Md. Anamul Hoque
Summary: Salicylic acid (SA) and proline show protective effects against drought stress in rice. The combined application of SA and proline has a more pronounced impact in alleviating the detrimental effects of drought stress, improving plant growth, biomass, and yield, and mitigating oxidative stress.
Article
Plant Sciences
Natalia Ozolina, Irina S. Kapustina, Veronika V. Gurina, Vadim N. Nurminsky
Summary: Variations in the content of tonoplast microdomains induced by osmotic stress may play a role in adaptive mechanisms of plant cells. The lipids of raft-like microdomains in tonoplasts are hypothesized to have a protective function against stress. Under hyperosmotic stress, an increase in sterols and polar lipids stabilizes membrane structure, while hydrocarbons mainly fulfill a protective function under hypoosmotic stress.
Article
Plant Sciences
Wenmei Li, Yajun Wang, Heng Ren, Zhihong Guo, Na Li, Chengzheng Zhao, Zhongkui Xie
Summary: Drought stress is the main limiting factor for plant growth in arid and semiarid regions. The Lanzhou lily is a unique sweet-tasting lily that has high edible, medicinal, health, and ornamental value in these regions of China. Under drought stress, the Lanzhou lily adapts by coordinating its organs and unique bulb, regulating photosynthesis, increasing osmolyte content, activating circadian rhythms, signal transduction, fatty acid elongation metabolism, and phenylalanine and flavonoid metabolic pathways.
HORTICULTURAL PLANT JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Patrick Reith, Svenja Braam, Niek Welkenhuysen, Sarah Lecinski, Jack Shepherd, Chris MacDonald, Mark C. Leake, Stefan Hohmann, Sviatlana Shashkova, Marija Cvijovic
Summary: Lithium has been shown to prolong life span in various species, but not yet in budding yeast. In this study, we investigate the influence of lithium on yeast cells' viability and find that it can extend long-term survival under glucose deprivation. We also observe that lithium affects the cellular adaptation to oxidative stress and acute glucose starvation. These findings provide novel insights into the effects of lithium on eukaryotic cells.
Review
Plant Sciences
Pooja Singh, Krishna Kumar Choudhary, Nivedita Chaudhary, Shweta Gupta, Mamatamayee Sahu, Boddu Tejaswini, Subrata Sarkar
Summary: Salinity stress adversely affects plant growth and development, limiting crop productivity. Plants adapt to salt stress by synthesizing, signaling, and regulating osmolytes and phytohormones. Osmolytes stabilize osmotic differences and facilitate protein functioning and stress signaling. Phytohormones play critical roles in plant adaptation to salt stress by regulating osmolyte accumulation and minimizing detrimental effects.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Jack W. Shepherd, Sarah Lecinski, Jasmine Wragg, Sviatlana Shashkova, Chris MacDonald, Mark C. Leake
Summary: This study used cutting-edge genomically integrated FRET biosensing to determine localized molecular crowding in single live yeast cells, finding that crowding is reduced when yeast is grown in elevated glucose concentrations. Simulations indicated that the cell membrane is largely inaccessible to these sensors, and that cytosolic crowding is broadly uniform across each cell over a timescale of seconds.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Benjamin Haemisch, Roland Pollak, Simon Ebbinghaus, Klaus Huber
CHEMISTRY-A EUROPEAN JOURNAL
(2020)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Rita Puglisi, Oliver Brylski, Caterina Alfano, Stephen R. Martin, Annalisa Pastore, Piero A. Temussi
COMMUNICATIONS CHEMISTRY
(2020)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Lukas J. Patalag, Somayeh Ahadi, Olesia Lashchuk, Peter G. Jones, Simon Ebbinghaus, Daniel B. Werz
Summary: The study demonstrates a straightforward synthetic route to water-soluble, uncharged BODIPY derivatives using unprocessed reducing sugar substrates, showing high fluorescence efficiency and compatibility with various postfunctionalizations. The Knoevenagel condensations result in red and far-red fluorescent glycoconjugates with high hydrophilicity, and the synthetic outcome is confirmed through X-ray crystallography and photophysical investigations. Cell experiments further illustrate efficient cell uptake and differential cell targeting based on chiral information integration.
ANGEWANDTE CHEMIE-INTERNATIONAL EDITION
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Nirnay Samanta, Sara S. Ribeiro, Mailin Becker, Emeline Laborie, Roland Pollak, Stepan Timr, Fabio Sterpone, Simon Ebbinghaus
Summary: The folding stability of SOD1 determines its association with SGs, regardless of aggregation. Specific protein-protein interactions within the cytoplasm compared to SGs play a role in determining the partitioning of folding states during heat stress.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Oliver Brylski, Puja Shrestha, Patricia Gnutt, David Gnutt, Jonathan Wolf Mueller, Simon Ebbinghaus
Summary: It has been found that cellular protein stability is determined by ligand binding and directly connected to cellular ATP levels. This has implications for understanding the role of protein stability during the catalytic cycle of APS kinase.
FRONTIERS IN MOLECULAR BIOSCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Candice B. Raeburn, Angelique R. Ormsby, Dezerae Cox, Chloe A. Gerak, Christian Makhoul, Nagaraj S. Moily, Simon Ebbinghaus, Alex Dickson, Gawain McColl, Danny M. Hatters
Summary: This study investigates the role of quality control machinery in protecting proteins from misfolding and aggregation in different cellular compartments. The results show that the protection offered by the machinery is weaker in the nucleus compared to the cytosol, and the aggregation of mutant huntingtin exon 1 protein hinders the engagement of quality control machinery.
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nirnay Samanta, Yasser B. Ruiz-Blanco, Zamira Fetahaj, David Gnutt, Carter Lantz, Joseph A. Loo, Elsa Sanchez-Garcia, Simon Ebbinghaus
Summary: Protein misfolding and aggregation are common features of many neurodegenerative diseases. This study investigates the modulation mechanism of the unfolding and aggregation pathways of SOD1 protein, which is involved in ALS, by the supramolecular ligand CLR01. The results provide insights into the molecular mechanisms of how CLR01 affects the stability of SOD1 and suggest it as a potential target for the development of drugs against neurodegenerative diseases.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Beth A. Cimini, Srinivas Niranj Chandrasekaran, Maria Kost-Alimova, Lisa Miller, Amy Goodale, Briana Fritchman, Patrick Byrne, Sakshi Garg, Nasim Jamali, David J. Logan, John B. Concannon, Charles-Hugues Lardeau, Elizabeth Mouchet, Shantanu Singh, Hamdah Shafqat Abbasi, Jr Peter Aspesi, Justin D. Boyd, Tamara Gilbert, David Gnutt, Santosh Hariharan, Desiree Hernandez, Gisela Hormel, Karolina Juhani, Michelle Melanson, Lewis H. Mervin, Tiziana Monteverde, James E. Pilling, Adam Skepner, Susanne E. Swalley, Anita Vrcic, Erin Weisbart, Guy Williams, Shan Yu, Bolek Zapiec, Anne E. Carpenter
Summary: In image-based profiling, software extracts morphological features of cells from fluorescence microscopy images for various applications in basic research and drug discovery. This article presents an updated protocol for Cell Painting assay, a popular technique that utilizes multiple stains and channels to label different components of cells. The authors also discuss the efforts of the Cell Painting Consortium to optimize the assay and simplify the protocol for cost-saving purposes.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sara S. Ribeiro, David Gnutt, Salome Azoulay-Ginsburg, Zamira Fetahaj, Ella Spurlock, Felix Lindner, Damon Kuz, Yfat Cohen-Erez, Hanna Rapaport, Adrian Israelson, Arie-lev Gruzman, Simon Ebbinghaus
Summary: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurological disorder characterized by the accumulation of unfolded/misfolded superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) in different subcellular locations. Recent studies have shown that combining organelle-targeting therapies with chemical chaperones can reduce the subcellular load of misfolded SOD1 and improve cellular processes. This research investigated the effect of targeted chemical chaperones on the folding stability of SOD1 mutants in specific organelles and discovered a novel chemical chaperone, ER-15, that increased the folding stability of ER-SOD1 mutants, suggesting potential therapeutic applications for ALS treatment.
BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Meeting Abstract
Biophysics
Sara Ribeiro, Nirnay Samanta, David Gnutt, Tom Dixon, Zamira Fetahaj, Albert Avetisyan, Gawain McColl, Danny Hatters, Alex Dickson, Simon Ebbinghaus
EUROPEAN BIOPHYSICS JOURNAL WITH BIOPHYSICS LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Satyendra Rajput, Roland Pollak, Klaus Huber, Simon Ebbinghaus, Divya Nayar
Summary: The role of intracellular crowded environment in regulating protein aggregation is a complex and elusive mechanism. By studying a synthetic model for self-assembling proteins, it was found that ethylene glycol impedes the self-assembly of dye molecules, suggesting that a crowded environment can hinder the self-assembly of proteins. These findings have implications in understanding the impact of crowded environment on the free energy landscapes of proteins.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Alexander Christoph Hautke, Simon Ebbinghaus
Summary: Research has focused on the relationship between RNA molecules with trinucleotide repeat expansions and neurodegenerative diseases, primarily aiming to understand how they fold and function in disease progression. Functional studies in cells can reveal additional aspects of RNA behavior, while invitro studies mainly focus on sequence structure, stability, and self-assembly. Specific interactions with the unfolded state have been found to contribute to destabilization and aggregation of RNA in cellular lysate.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Christoph Rumancev, Tobias Voepel, Susan Stuhr, Andreas R. Gundlach, Tobias Senkbeil, Markus Osterhoff, Michael Sprung, Vasil M. Garamus, Simon Ebbinghaus, Axel Rosenhahn
Summary: Huntington's disease is a neurodegenerative disorder associated with the extension of polyglutamine in proteins, leading to the formation of amyloidal structures. By using nanoprobe small angle X-ray scattering in cellulo, the structure of Htt amyloid fibrils was investigated under cryogenic conditions, providing insights into aggregate formation without chemical fixation. It was also revealed that nanoprobe cryo-SAXS can serve as a powerful tool to study the kinetics of amyloid aggregate formation inside cells and understand how fibril formation can be influenced by drugs and external stimuli.
Article
Biophysics
Christoph Rumancev, Tobias Voepel, Susan Stuhr, Andreas von Gundlach, Tobias Senkbeil, Simon Ebbinghaus, Jan Garrevoet, Gerald Falkenberg, Bjoern De Samber, Laszlo Vincze, Axel Rosenhahn, Walter Schroeder
Summary: X-ray fluorescence analysis enables the study of trace element distributions in biological specimens under cryogenic conditions. The system described in this work was applied to analyze the elemental distribution in single HeLa cells.
