Osmolytes are accumulated intracellularly to offset the effects of osmotic stress and protect cellular proteins against denaturation. Because different taxa accumulate different osmolytes, they can also be used as "dietary biomarkers" to study foraging. Potential osmolyte biomarkers include glycine betaine, trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), homarine, dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP), and the osmo...

We determined the added enthalpic and entropic contributions of protective osmolytes to the folding of a model peptide into its native beta-hairpin state. In contrast to entropically driven steric "crowding", this study shows that sugars and polyols can act as protective osmolytes by primarily diminishing the unfavourable enthalpic contribution to folding.

Scientists have identified turgor-based actuation as a fundamental mechanism in plant movements. Plant cell turgor is generated by water influx due to the osmolyte concentration gradient through the cell wall and the plasma membrane behaving as an osmotic barrier. Previous studies have focused on turgor modulation with respect to potassium chloride (KCl) concentration changes, although KCl is n...

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...

Guard cell membrane ion transport and metabolism are deeply interconnected, their coordinated regulation is integral to stomatal opening. Whereas exceptionally well understood, how guard influences movements less known. Organic metabolites, such as malate sugars, fulfill several functions in cells during opening allosteric activators, counter-ions, energy source osmolytes. However, origin exact...