Laurent, H. orcid.org/0000-0002-8925-4773, Youngs, T.G.A. orcid.org/0000-0003-3538-5572, Headen, T.F. orcid.org/0000-0003-0095-5731 et al. (2 more authors) (2022) The ability of trimethylamine N-oxide to resist pressure induced perturbations to water structure. Communications Chemistry, 5. 116. ISSN 2399-3669
Abstract
Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) protects organisms from the damaging effects of high pressure. At the molecular level both TMAO and pressure perturb water structure but it is not understood how they act in combination. Here, we use neutron scattering coupled with computational modelling to provide atomistic insight into the structure of water under pressure at 4 kbar in the presence and absence of TMAO. The data reveal that TMAO resists pressure-induced perturbation to water structure, particularly in retaining a clear second solvation shell, enhanced hydrogen bonding between water molecules and strong TMAO – water hydrogen bonds. We calculate an ‘osmolyte protection’ ratio at which pressure and TMAO-induced energy changes effectively cancel out. Remarkably this ratio translates across scales to the organism level, matching the observed concentration dependence of TMAO in the muscle tissue of organisms as a function of depth. Osmolyte protection may therefore offer a molecular mechanism for the macroscale survival of life in extreme environments.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © The Author(s) 2022. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Physics and Astronomy (Leeds) > Molecular & Nanoscale Physics |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 13 Jan 2025 13:19 |
Last Modified: | 15 Jan 2025 15:00 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Springer |
Identification Number: | 10.1038/s42004-022-00726-z |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:221615 |