PROJECT - DESCRIPTION

Project Overview

Tardigrades are extraordinary micro-animals capable of surviving under extreme environmental stresses by entering a special dehydration stage, cryptobiosis, which allows them to endure cold, desiccation, and other harsh conditions. In low-temperature development, tardigrades express a unique set of proteins to protect cell structure and protein activity.

Among these, three families have been identified as particularly critical: MAHS (Mitochondrial Abundant Heat-Soluble proteins), CAHS (Cytoplasmic Abundant Heat-Soluble proteins), and SAHS (Secretory Abundant Heat-Soluble proteins).

Project Objectives

Inspired by this ability of long-term dormancy in a dehydrated state, our project aims to reduce the loss of eukaryotic cells during -80°C storage in synthetic biology experiments by introducing MAHS, CAHS, and SAHS into cell systems.

We envision that this strategy could provide a practical tool for researchers—especially in molecular biology and biotechnology—by minimizing cell death during experimental procedures and allowing more convenient long-distance transportation and long-term storage, thereby reducing both time and economic costs.

Experimental System

To narrow our focus, we selected Sf9 cells (Spodoptera frugiperda 9) as a representative eukaryotic system. Technically, we employ the baculovirus expression system: target genes encoding MAHS, CAHS, and SAHS are inserted into a bacmid, which is then used to transfect Sf9 cells.

Evaluation Methods

Through these methods, we expected to demonstrate that tardigrade-derived proteins can significantly improve cell resilience during dehydration.