The key to the extraordinary survival of tardigrades in extreme conditions is found!

Tardigrades are small, eight-legged invertebrates found throughout the world. They are known to be incredibly resistant to extreme conditions. When the temperature drops or the radiation becomes too intense, the tardigrade folds in on itself and transforms into a kind of barrel. They become dehydrated and inactive. And researchers from Marshall University (United States) finally explain how they do it in an open access journal. Plos one

In response to stress, tardigrades protect themselves

To understand, they subjected tardigrades to extreme conditions. For example temperatures of -80°C or environments rich in toxins. They found that these amazingly tiny organisms, barely a millimeter in size, then began to produce oxygenated free radicals. For us humans, these molecules are harmful. But for tardigrades, they play a key role in their resistance abilities.

In fact, these free radicals are produced simultaneously when external conditions turn into a nightmare that signals to tardigrades that they must protect themselves. These molecules oxidize the amino acid that is one of the building blocks of the body’s protein, cysteine. As a result, proteins change structure and function. And the tardigrade goes dormant.

Discoveries about tardigrades that may benefit humans

The researchers note that when external conditions improve, free radical production stops, cysteine ​​oxidation does not occur, and tardigrades wake up. They hope the discovery will help better understand aging processes. And it will make it possible to understand that how to reduce the metabolism of astronauts is nothing to open the door to the next interstellar travel.