Speaker
Mr
Christoffer Olsson
(Chalmers University of Technology)
Description
The di-saccharide trehalose has been the focus of a lot of research during the past two decades due to its superior ability to stabilize biological macromolecules in extreme conditions. A more fundamental understanding of the molecular properties of trehalose in solutions may lead to improved preservation techniques, such as improved food and medication storage, or successful cryopreservation of human organs for transplantations.
We are currently studying the structural properties of trehalose-water solutions using neutron diffraction, with six different isotope compositions, and Empirical Potential Structure Refinement (EPSR) modelling. Using this approach, we should be able to answer important questions regarding how trehalose interact with water and thereby perturb the hydrogen bonded network of water. We should also be able to determine the intramolecular structure of individual trehalose molecules in the solution, and whether the trehalose molecules form clusters or are more homogeneously dispersed in the water.
Preliminary results indicate that the water structure is significantly perturbed by the presence of trehalose, and that water form plenty of hydrogen bonds with trehalose primarily via the hydroxyl groups of trehalose, and particularly with the hydroxyl groups on the methyl groups. Furthermore, there is no indication of any significant clustering of trehalose.
The improved understanding of the structural properties of this sugar solution will also be beneficial for our future studies of proteins in the same solution, where we aim to understand the extraordinary stabilizing effect of trehalose on proteins.
Primary author
Mr
Christoffer Olsson
(Chalmers University of Technology)
Co-authors
Dr
Helen Jansson
(Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology)
Prof.
Jan Swenson
(Department of Applied Physics, Chalmers University of Technology)
