Osmoprotectants or
compatible solutes are small molecules that act as
osmolyteOsmolytes are organic compounds affecting osmosis. They are soluble in the solution within a cell, or in the surrounding fluid, e.g. as plasma osmolytes. They play a role in maintaining cell volume and fluid balance...
s and help organisms survive extreme osmotic stress. Examples include betaines,
amino acidAmino acids are molecules containing an amine group, a carboxylic acid group and one of the twenty R-groups. These molecules are particularly important in biochemistry, where this term refers to alpha-amino acids with the general formula H
2NCHRCOOH, where R is an organic substituent...
s, and the sugar
trehaloseTrehalose, also known as mycose or tremalose, is a natural alpha-linked disaccharide formed by an α, α-1, 1-glucoside bond between two α-glucose units. In 1832, Wiggers discovered trehalose in an ergot of rye, and in 1859 Berthelot isolated it from trehala manna, a substance made by weevils, and...
. These molecules accumulate in cells and balance the osmotic difference between the cell's surroundings and the
cytosolThe cytosol or intracellular fluid is the liquid found inside cells. In eukaryotes this liquid is separated by cell membranes from the contents of the organelles suspended in the cytosol, such as the mitochondrial matrix inside the mitochondrion...
. In extreme cases, such as in bdelloid rotifers, tardigrades,
brine shrimpBrine shrimp is the English name of the genus Artemia of aquatic crustaceans. Artemia, the only genus in the family Artemiidae, have evolved little since the Triassic period...
and nematodes, these molecules can allow cells to survive being completely dried out and let them enter a state of suspended animation called
cryptobiosisCryptobiosis is a metabolic state of life entered by an organism in response to adverse environmental conditions such as desiccation, freezing, and oxygen deficiency. In the cryptobiotic state, all metabolic procedures stop, preventing reproduction, development, and repair...
.
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Osmoprotectants or
compatible solutes are small molecules that act as
osmolyteOsmolytes are organic compounds affecting osmosis. They are soluble in the solution within a cell, or in the surrounding fluid, e.g. as plasma osmolytes. They play a role in maintaining cell volume and fluid balance...
s and help organisms survive extreme osmotic stress. Examples include betaines,
amino acidAmino acids are molecules containing an amine group, a carboxylic acid group and one of the twenty R-groups. These molecules are particularly important in biochemistry, where this term refers to alpha-amino acids with the general formula H
2NCHRCOOH, where R is an organic substituent...
s, and the sugar
trehaloseTrehalose, also known as mycose or tremalose, is a natural alpha-linked disaccharide formed by an α, α-1, 1-glucoside bond between two α-glucose units. In 1832, Wiggers discovered trehalose in an ergot of rye, and in 1859 Berthelot isolated it from trehala manna, a substance made by weevils, and...
. These molecules accumulate in cells and balance the osmotic difference between the cell's surroundings and the
cytosolThe cytosol or intracellular fluid is the liquid found inside cells. In eukaryotes this liquid is separated by cell membranes from the contents of the organelles suspended in the cytosol, such as the mitochondrial matrix inside the mitochondrion...
. In extreme cases, such as in bdelloid rotifers, tardigrades,
brine shrimpBrine shrimp is the English name of the genus Artemia of aquatic crustaceans. Artemia, the only genus in the family Artemiidae, have evolved little since the Triassic period...
and nematodes, these molecules can allow cells to survive being completely dried out and let them enter a state of suspended animation called
cryptobiosisCryptobiosis is a metabolic state of life entered by an organism in response to adverse environmental conditions such as desiccation, freezing, and oxygen deficiency. In the cryptobiotic state, all metabolic procedures stop, preventing reproduction, development, and repair...
. In this state the cytosol and osmoprotectants become a glass-like solid that helps stabilize
proteinProteins are organic compounds made of amino acids arranged in a linear chain and folded into a globular form. The amino acids in a polymer chain are joined together by the peptide bonds between the carboxyl and amino groups of adjacent amino acid residues...
s and
cell membraneThe cell membrane is the biological membrane separating the interior of a cell from the outside environment....
s from the damaging effects of desiccation.