Osmolytes stabilize proteins against denaturation, but little is known about how their stabilizing effect might affect a protein folding pathway. Here, we report the effects of the osmolytes, trimethylamine-N-oxide, and sarcosine on the stability of the native state of barstar as well as on the structural heterogeneity of an early intermediate ensemble, IE, on its folding pathway. Both osmolyte...

Osmolytes are small molecules that are exploited by cells as a protective system against stress conditions. They favour compact protein states which makes them stabilize globular proteins in vitro and promote folding. Conversely, this preference for compact states promotes aggregation of unstructured proteins. Here we combine a brief review of the effect of osmolytes on protein fibrillation wit...

Nature has selected osmolytes to protect intracellular macromolecules against denaturing stress conditions. These molecules are accumulated in the intracellular environment at considerably high concentrations. In general, osmolytes are known to stabilize proteins. However, under certain conditions, their destabilizing properties have also been pointed out. A careful qualitative and quantitative...

Previous studies indicated that Tylenchulus semipenetrans infection reduced concentrations of inorganic osmolytes, (Na, Cl, K), in roots, along with leaf K in citrus. However, infection increased leaf Na and Cl, along with carbohydrates in roots. Pruning of roots also increased carbohydrates in intact roots, whereas shoot pruning increased carbohydrates in shoots. Carbohydrates are translocated...

Molecular and chemical chaperones are key components of the two main mechanisms that ensure structural stability and activity under environmental stresses. Yet, chemical chaperones are often regarded only as osmolytes and their role beyond osmotic regulation is not fully understood. Here, we systematically studied a large group of chemical chaperones, representatives of diverse chemical familie...

Osmolytes are small molecules that play a central role in cellular homeostasis and the stress response by maintaining protein thermodynamic stability at controlled levels. The underlying physical chemistry that describes how different osmolytes impact folding free energy is well understood, however little is known about their influence on other crucial aspects of protein behavior, such as nativ...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Osmolytes are low-molecular-weight organic solutes, a broad group that encompasses a variety of compounds such as amino acids, tertiary sulphonium and quaternary ammonium compounds, sugars and polyhydric alcohols. Osmolytes are accumulated in the cytoplasm of halophytic species in order to balance the osmotic potential of the Na(+) and Cl(-) accumulated in the vacuole. The a...

Non-thermal plasmas are emerging as a novel tool for the treatment of living tissues for biological and medical purpose. In this study, we described the effect of 4 min dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma on both T98G cancer and HEK normal cell lines in the presence of different concentrations of osmolytes. This treatment strategy shows a specific inhibitory effect of a 240 s plasma expos...