The earthworm, Dendrobaena octaedra, is a common species in temperate and subarctic regions of the northern hemisphere. The egg capsules ('cocoons') of D. octaedra are deposited in the upper soil layers where they may be exposed to desiccation. Many previous studies on desiccation tolerance in soil invertebrates have examined acute exposure to harsh desiccating conditions, however, these animal...

COMMUNICATION Daniel Harries et al. Enthalpically driven peptide stabilization by protective osmolytes FEATURE ARTICLE Liu-Zhu Gong et al. The role of double hydrogen bonds in asymmetric direct aldol reactions catalyzed by amino amide derivatives

Examining solute-induced changes in protein conformational equilibria is a long-standing method for probing the role of water in maintaining protein stability. Interpreting the molecular details governing the solute-induced effects, however, remains controversial. We present experimental and theoretical data for osmolyte-induced changes in the stabilities of the A and N states of yeast iso-1-fe...

The CNS is particularly vulnerable to reductions in plasma osmolarity, such as occur during hyponatremia, the most commonly encountered electrolyte disorder in clinical practice. In response to a lowered plasma osmolarity, neural cells initially swell but then are able to restore their original volume through the release of osmolytes, both inorganic and organic, and the exit of osmotically obli...

Water gain in the brain consequent to hyponatremia is counteracted by mechanisms that initially include a compensatory displacement of liquid from the interstitial space to cerebrospinal fluid and systemic circulation and subsequently an active reduction in cell water accomplished by extrusion of intracellular osmolytes to reach osmotic equilibrium. Potassium (K+), chloride (Cl-), amino acids, ...

Dialysis disequilibrium syndrome (DDS) is characterized by the neurologic deterioration and cerebral edema that occurs after hemodialysis. To investigate the pathogenesis of DDS, the effects of rapid hemodialysis on brain electrolytes, urea, and several organic osmolytes were studied in the rat. Forty-two h after bilateral ureteral ligation, 11 uremic rats were hemodialyzed for 90 min, yielding...

Venkatesu P, Lee MJ, Lin HM. J Phys Chem B. 2009 Apr 16;113(15):5327-38 Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, 43 Keelung Road, Section 4, Taipei 106-07, Taiwan. The stability of proteins is reduced by urea, which is methylamine and nonprotecting osmolyte; eventually urea destabilizes the activity and function and alters the structure of protei...

In recent years, it has become evident that the volume of a given cell is an important factor not only in defining its intracellular osmolality and its shape, but also in defining other cellular functions, such as transepithelial transport, cell migration, cell growth, cell death, and the regulation of intracellular metabolism. In addition, besides inorganic osmolytes, the existence of organic ...