Does Extreme Desiccation Lead To Dehydration?

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Anhydrobiois is the process through which some organisms remove their bulk water to inhibit freezing in colder temperature. Although extreme desiccation leads to dehydration, organisms can survive extreme conditions including starvation. Since there is no free water to support the diffusion of metabolic intermediates or the activity of enzymes, most anhydrobiotic organisms are ametabolic.

Extreme desiccation also places extreme stress on proteins and lipids due to the loss of hydration shells that are important for maintaining their functional conformation. Thus, these organisms use polyhydric alcohols including sorbitol and glycerol as cellular desiccants, to minimize “free water”, and stabilize proteins and membranes. Polyols form hydrogen

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