Tag : Hydration

New Delhi (The Hawk): Hydration dynamics of proteins plays a pivotal role in the aggregation of several proteins which is a preliminary step towards various neuro-degenerative diseases. Thus aggregation process could be spotted early by detecting altering water network dynamics and modulated using inactive substances that serve as the vehicle or medium for a drug or other active substance.  Understanding debilitating neuro-degenerative diseases at the molecular level is crucial to find treatments or solutions for them. A phenomenon called ‘liquid liquid phase separation’ (LLPS) underlines the formation of cells organelles like P bodies, nucleolus which are membrane-less compartments in the cytoplasm of cells. LLPS, a self-aggregated system, is an intermediate step during the formation of the stable protein aggregates. When multivalent proteins interact they undergo rapid transformation from small complexes to large polymeric assemblies with increase in protein concentration. This dense phase often resembles liquid droplets exhibiting higher protein density and weaker molecular motion than the surrounding medium. This process, initiated through liquid liquid phase transfer, plays crucial role in inducing human diseases, especially age-related neuro-degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and cataract. Therefore, understanding the process of phase separation at a molecular level has become an emergent area of research in molecular biology fraternity. Scientists at the S.N Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences, an autonomous institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DST) have explored how the hydration of proteins, gets altered as LLPS sets in. The researchers have spotted the crucial role of w ...