PREreviews of “Tardigrade CAHS Proteins Act as Molecular Swiss Army Knives to Mediate Desiccation Tolerance Through Multiple Mechanisms” | PREreview

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Tardigrade CAHS Proteins Act as Molecular Swiss Army Knives to Mediate Desiccation Tolerance Through Multiple Mechanisms

by Cherie S. Hesgrove, Kenny H. Nguyen, Sourav Biswas, Charles A. Childs, KC Shraddha, Bryan X. Medina, Vladimir Alvarado, Feng Yu, Shahar Sukenik, Marco Malferrari, Francesco Francia, Giovanni Venturoli, Erik W. Martin, Alex S. Holehouse, and Thomas C. Boothby

Posted: August 17, 2021
Server: bioRxiv
DOI: 10.1101/2021.08.16.456555

Abstract

Tardigrades, also known as water bears, make up a phylum of small but extremely hardy animals, renowned for their ability to survive extreme stresses, including desiccation. How tardigrades survive desiccation is one of the enduring mysteries of animal physiology. Here we show that CAHS D, an intrinsically disordered protein belonging to a unique family of proteins possessed only by tardigrades, undergoes a liquid-to-gel phase transition in a concentration dependent manner. Unlike other gelling proteins, such as gelatin, our data support a mechanism in which gel formation of CAHS D is driven by intermolecular β-β interactions. We find that gel formation corresponds with strong coordination of water and slowing of water diffusion. The degree of water coordination correlates with the ability of CAHS D to protect lactate dehydrogenase from unfolding when dried. This implies that the mechanism for unfolding protection can be attributed to a combination of hydration and slowed molecular motion. Conversely, rapid diffusion leading to efficient molecular shielding appears to be the predominant mechanism preventing protein aggregation. Our study demonstrates that distinct mechanisms are required for holistic protection during desiccation, and that protectants, such as CAHS D, can act as molecular ‘Swiss Army Knives’ capable of providing protection through several different mechanisms simultaneously.

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by Arkadeep Banerjee

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PREreview by Arkadeep Banerjee

Authored by Arkadeep Banerjee

Tardigrades can survive extreme desiccation which allows them to tolerate various stresses like high (or low) temperatures and pressures, starvation, exposure to ionizing radiation etc. Unlike other desiccation tolerant organisms, tardigrades do not use or even have trehalose and sucrose in…

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