Biologists have uncovered a mechanism that lets tardigrades endure extreme dehydration. A study published in a biology journal highlights these findings, echoing the summary from a university press office.
Tardigrades, tiny creatures reaching up to 1.5 millimeters, earned fame for their astonishing endurance. They can withstand hours in liquid helium, survive boiling heat, endure the intense radiation of a nuclear reactor, endure being kilometers underground, survive in vacuum, and even endure the vacuum of space. In the harshest conditions, they enter a state of suspended animation that can prolong their existence for extended periods.
Research led by Takekazu Kunieda at the University of Tokyo sought to understand what allows tardigrades to rebound after dehydration. The team notes that while water is essential for life as we know it, certain tardigrades can survive without water for decades. The key appears to lie in a protective gel that forms within cells under stress. This gel stiffens and creates thread-like networks that brace and shield cellular structures from mechanical damage that would normally be fatal. The process is reversible; as cells absorb water again, the gel dissolves at a pace that avoids stressing the cells. Remarkably, the same protective proteins retain their properties even when studied outside the tardigrade cells, as observed under microscopic examination.
Building on these insights, Kunieda and his colleagues aim to apply this knowledge to improve dry preservation of cellular materials and biomolecules. Such advances could extend the shelf life of research samples, medicines with limited stability, and potentially preserve organs needed for transplantation in the future.