Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28306513›Full record

ArticleMolecular cell2017

Tardigrades Use Intrinsically Disordered Proteins to Survive Desiccation.

Thomas C Boothby, Hugo Tapia, Alexandra H Brozena, Samantha Piszkiewicz, Austin E Smith, Ilaria Giovannini, Lorena Rebecchi, Gary J Pielak, Doug Koshland, Bob Goldstein

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Molecular cell, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 202 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
202citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

202 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
  3. Facile, high-throughput protein purification enabled by high-efficiency protease elution.Protein science : a publication of the Protein Society · 2026
    Article
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Review
  8. Review
  9. Article
  10. "Let's Dry up and Survive Together": Is Anhydrobiosis in TwoInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2026
    Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Review
  16. Article
  17. Fibril Structure of Desiccation-Protective Tardigrade Protein CAHS-8.Angewandte Chemie (International ed. in English) · 2026
    Article
  18. Article
  19. Article
  20. Article

142 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Thomas C BoothbyDepartment of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA; Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA. Electronic address: tboothby@gmail.com.
Hugo TapiaDepartment of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
Alexandra H BrozenaDepartment of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA.
Samantha PiszkiewiczDepartment of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
Austin E SmithDepartment of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
Ilaria GiovanniniDepartment of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena 41125, Italy.
Lorena RebecchiDepartment of Life Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena 41125, Italy.
Gary J PielakDepartment of Chemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.
Doug KoshlandDepartment of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
Bob GoldsteinDepartment of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA.

Funding

MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR BIOPHYSICS TRAINING PROGRAMT32GM008570 · NIGMS · UNIV OF NORTH CAROLINA CHAPEL HILL · PI KUHLMAN, BRIAN A, SLEP, KEVIN C · 1995 to 2022
$5.1M
NIGMS NIH HHS T32 GM008570
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Tardigrades are microscopic animals that survive a remarkable array of stresses, including desiccation. How tardigrades survive desiccation has remained a mystery for more than 250 years. Trehalose, a disaccharide essential for several organisms to survive drying, is detected at low levels or not at all in some tardigrade species, indicating that tardigrades possess potentially novel mechanisms for surviving desiccation. Here we show that tardigrade-specific intrinsically disordered proteins (TDPs) are essential for desiccation tolerance. TDP genes are constitutively expressed at high levels or induced during desiccation in multiple tardigrade species. TDPs are required for tardigrade desiccation tolerance, and these genes are sufficient to increase desiccation tolerance when expressed in heterologous systems. TDPs form non-crystalline amorphous solids (vitrify) upon desiccation, and this vitrified state mirrors their protective capabilities. Our study identifies TDPs as functional mediators of tardigrade desiccation tolerance, expanding our knowledge of the roles and diversity of disordered proteins involved in stress tolerance.

Indexed as

AcclimatizationAnimalsDehydrationDesiccationEnzymesEnzyme StabilityEscherichia coliIntrinsically Disordered ProteinsProtein ConformationRNA InterferenceSaccharomyces cerevisiaeTardigradaUp-RegulationVitrificationEnzymesIntrinsically Disordered ProteinsanhydrobiosisCAHS proteinscryptobiosisdesiccation tolerancefreeze toleranceintrinsically disordered proteinstardigradestrehalosevitrificationwater bear

Identifiers

PMID28306513
PMCPMC5987194

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.