Short description:

This book provides essential insights into improving protein folding/stability, which is a result of the balance between the intra-molecular interactions of protein functional groups and their interactions with the solvent environment.

Even a subtle change in the composition of the solvent environment will alter the fidelity of the protein folding process, and hostile environmental stresses represent one of the basic causes of challenges in protein folding or misfolding.

Among the strategies employed in a wide range of species and cell types to circumvent the hostile environmental conditions is the elaboration of small organic molecules called osmolytes, and recent advances have revealed that certain specific osmolytes might be key biomarkers of cancer, infectious diseases and are useful in heterologous protein expression and vaccine flocculation. As such a large pool of data has been collected regarding their potential for therapeutic intervention in neurodegenerative diseases and other metabolic disorders caused by protein aggregation or proteiostasis failure.

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Long description:

This book provides essential information on improving protein folding/stability, which is a result of the balance between the intra-molecular interactions of protein functional groups and their interactions with the solvent environment. The protein folding solvent environment mainly consists of salts, small molecule compounds, metabolites, molecular chaperones and other chemical species. Therefore, subtle change in the composition of the environment will alter the protein folding process. The importance of the solvent environment in protein folding is precisely due to the fact that various disease-causing proteopathies can be reversed by manipulating the solvent environment of the malfolded proteins. Hostile environmental stresses represent one of the basic causes of such challenges in protein folding or misfolding. Since cells commonly encounter extreme environmental fluctuations, it is crucial that they equip themselves with strategies to circumvent the hostile environmental conditions. Nature has developed many strategies to ensure that the complex and challenging protein folding reaction occurs with adequate efficiency and fidelity for the success of the organism. Among the strategies employed in a wide range of species and cell types is the elaboration of small organic molecules called osmolytes.

Additionally, recent advances have also revealed that certain specific osmolytes might be key biomarkers of cancer, infectious diseases and vaccine flocculation. In fact, a large pool of data has been generated regarding their potential for the therapeutic intervention of neurodegenerative diseases and other metabolic disorders caused by protein aggregation or proteostasis failure.

Reflecting the multiple applications of these small molecules in the health and other industries, this book combines contributions by respected leaders in the field and will help to inspire college students, basic researchers, and clinicians to translate these biological roles of osmolytes into clinical practice. It will also shed light on some important future prospects of osmolytes like their role as drug excipients and provide a deeper understanding of their mechanism of action in the prevention of neuro-degenerative diseases.

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Table of Contents:

Polyols as exceptional Protein stabilizers.- Osmolyte mixtures versus individuals in protein folding and aggregation.- Molecular insights of Osmolyte-protein Interaction.- MDS simulation studies on osmolyte protein interactions.- Osmolytes as protein aggregation Modifiers.- Osmolytes as Nano-probes of conformational changes.- Inhibition of Protein fibrillation by Chemical chaperones: a Therapeutic strategy.- Osmolyte in Infectious Diseases.- Possible strategies for the therapeutic intervention of osmolyte in Cancer.- Antioxidant osmolytes.- Advances on the in vivo studies of the effect of osmolyte on various pathophysiological conditions.- TMAO in alpha Synuclein aggregation.- Osmolytes: from cell physiology to Disease Prevention.- Osmolytes in Cell-volume Regulation.- Role of Osmolytes in counteracting the deleterious effects of  denaturant/pressure.

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