Monika Pepelnjak, Britta Velten, Nicolas Näpflin, Tatjana von Rosen, Umberto Capasso Palmiero, Jeong Hoon Ko, Heather D Maynard, Paolo Arosio, Eilika Weber-Ban, Natalie de Souza, Wolfgang Huber, Paola Picotti
Organisms use organic molecules called osmolytes to adapt to environmental conditions. In vitro studies indicate that osmolytes thermally stabilize proteins, but mechanisms are controversial, and systematic studies within the cellular milieu are lacking. We analyzed Escherichia coli and human protein thermal stabilization by osmolytes in situ and across the proteome. Using structural proteomics, we probed osmolyte effects on protein thermal stability, structure and aggregation, revealing common mechanisms but also osmolyte- and protein-specific effects...
February 29, 2024: Nature Chemical Biology