Mechanisms of plant desiccation tolerance

Anhydrobiosis ('life without water') is the remarkable ability of certain o rganisms to survive almost total dehydration. It requires a coordinated ser ies of events during dehydration that are associated with preventing oxidat ive damage and maintaining the native structure of macromolecules and membr anes. The preferential hydration of macromolecules is essential when there is still bulk water present, but replacement by sugars becomes important up on further drying. Recent advances in our understanding of the mechanism of anhydrobiosis include the downregulation of metabolism, dehydration-induce d partitioning of amphiphilic compounds into membranes and immobilization o f the cytoplasm in a stable multicomponent glassy matrix.