![]() ![]() ![]() High-pressure environments on Earth are found in the deep sea, including the Mariana Trench, which reaches depths of 11 km and pressures of 1.1 kbar (8 tons per square inch) 8. Osmolyte protection may therefore offer a molecular mechanism for the macroscale survival of life in extreme environments.Įxtremophile organisms survive and thrive in extreme environments of salinity, temperature, pH, and pressure 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. 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. We calculate an ‘osmolyte protection’ ratio at which pressure and TMAO-induced energy changes effectively cancel out. 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. 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. ![]() At the molecular level both TMAO and pressure perturb water structure but it is not understood how they act in combination. Trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) protects organisms from the damaging effects of high pressure. ![]()
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