Starch serves functions that range over a timescale of minutes to years, according to the cell type from which it is derived. In guard cells, starch is rapidly mobilized by the synergistic action of β-AMYLASE1 (BAM1) and α-AMYLASE3 (AMY3) to promote stomatal opening. In the leaves, starch typically accumulates gradually during the day and is degraded at night by BAM3 to support heterotrophic me...

Bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) is one of tolerant grass species to drought and salt. The comparative analyses of bermudagrass in response to drought and salt stresses at the physiological, proteomic, and metabolomic levels were performed in this study. The physiological results indicated that osmolytes accumulation, ROS level and antioxidant enzyme activities were extensively changed by drough...

In this brief review we discuss the evolution of recent thought regarding the role and mechanism of osmolytes with respect to protein stability. Osmolytes are naturally occurring intracellular compounds that change the protein folding landscape. Contributions from experiments are considered in the context of current theory and simulation results.

The key cytopathologies in the brains of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients include mitochondrial dysfunction and energy hypometabolism, which are likely caused by the accumulation of toxic species of amyloid-beta (Abeta) peptides. This review discusses two potential approaches to delay the onset of AD. The first approach is use of diaminophenothiazines (e.g., methylene blue; MB) to prevent mito...

We present a study on the influence of the naturally occurring organic osmolytes tri-methylamine N-oxide (TMAO) and urea on the bulk structure of water using X-ray Raman scattering spectroscopy. Addition of TMAO is known to stabilize proteins in otherwise destabilizing aqueous urea solutions. The experimental X-ray Raman scattering spectra change systematically with increasing solute concentrat...

Protein solvation is the key determinant for isothermal, concentration-dependent effects on protein equilibria, such as folding. The required solvation information can be extracted from experimental thermodynamic data using Kirkwood-Buff theory. Here we derive and discuss general properties of proteins and osmolytes that are pertinent to their biochemical behavior. We find that hydration depend...

The cells in the renal medulla protect themselves from the extracellular hypertonicity in that region of the kidney by accumulating large amounts of sorbitol, inositol, glycerophosphorylcholine, and betaine. The system is uniquely active in this part of the body, but it represents a throwback to primitive mechanisms by which cells in virtually all organisms, including bacteria, yeasts, plants, ...

A liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS, electrospray ionisation) method has been developed for the quantification of nitrogenous osmolytes (N-osmolytes) in the particulate fraction of natural water samples. Full method validation demonstrates the validity of the method for measuring glycine betaine (GBT), choline and trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) in particulates from seawater. Limits ...