Slow-moving shell of water can make Parkinson’s proteins ‘stickier’

Amazing stuff!

We still do not even understand water very well! Thus, Global Warming is a hoax and Climate Change is a religion!

"When attempting to discover potential treatments for protein misfolding diseases, researchers have primarily focused on the structure of the proteins themselves. However, researchers ... have shown that a thin shell of water is key to whether a protein begins to clump together, or aggregate, forming the toxic clusters which eventually kill brain cells.

Using a technique known as Terahertz spectroscopy, the researchers have shown that the movement of the water-based shell surrounding a protein can determine whether that protein aggregates or not. When the shell moves slowly, proteins are more likely to aggregate, and when the shell moves quickly, proteins are less likely to aggregate. The rate of movement of the shell is altered in the presence of certain ions, such as salt molecules, which are commonly used in the buffer solutions used to test new drug candidates.

The significance of the water shell, known as the hydration or solvation shell, in the folding and function of proteins has been strongly disputed in the past. This is the first time the solvation shell has been shown to play a key role in protein misfolding and aggregation, which could have profound implications in the search for treatments. ...
The solvation shell slides around on the surface of the protein, acting like a lubricant. ..."

From the abstract:

"The solvation shell is essential for the folding and function of proteins, but how it contributes to protein misfolding and aggregation has still to be elucidated. We show that the mobility of solvation shell H2O molecules influences the aggregation rate of the amyloid protein α-synuclein (αSyn), a protein associated with Parkinson’s disease. When the mobility of H2O within the solvation shell is reduced by the presence of NaCl, αSyn aggregation rate increases. Conversely, in the presence CsI the mobility of the solvation shell is increased and αSyn aggregation is reduced. Changing the solvent from H2O to D2O leads to increased aggregation rates, indicating a solvent driven effect. We show the increased aggregation rate is not directly due to a change in the structural conformations of αSyn, it is also influenced by a reduction in both the H2O mobility and αSyn mobility. We propose that reduced mobility of αSyn contributes to increased aggregation by promoting intermolecular interactions."

Slow-moving shell of water can make Parkinson’s proteins ‘stickier’ | University of Cambridge Water – which makes up the majority of every cell in the body – plays a key role in how proteins, including those associated with Parkinson’s disease, fold, misfold, or clump together, according to a new study.

Decreased Water Mobility Contributes To Increased α-Synuclein Aggregation (open access)