TMAOs: The way to survive in the deep sea

Recently, a species of snailfish have been found at around 8,200 metres underwater, the lowest any fish has every been found. The survival of these fish so deep under has been accredited to TMAO.


The effects of TMAO seem to decrease at lower temperatures meaning that the depth that these fish were found seem to be the limit to how low fish can go. So, why is TMAO so important?


What is TMAO?

Osmolytes are organic, low-molecular weight compounds. They stabilize proteins by influencing protein folding. Examples of osmolytes include amino acids, sugars and urea. 

TMAO is one osmolyte found in the tissue of marine animals and stabilise the proteins present in the cells of fish. This prevents the proteins from being distorted due to the high pressures. The concentration of TMAO found in fish increases as you go deeper underwater.


TMAO is also an osmoprotectant. These are molecules that have a neutral charge and have low toxicity at high concentrations. They help with withstanding osmotic stress and balancing osmotic differences between cells and their surroundings.


Surviving in deep water

High pressure underwater changes the structure of proteins by breaking bind interactions in protein chains. The presence of TMAO in fish helps counteract this allowing them to survive.

However, high pressure isn't the only issue faced in the depths of the ocean. Due to the lack of light, plants can't photosynthesise and therefore aren't available for food. In order to see, some sea animals have large, light sensitive eyes that can see the small amounts of light that is available deep in the water.

Furthermore, the cold temperatures mean fish tend to move very slowly in order to conserve energy.


TMAO is currently being researched and understood. The discovery of these pink snailfish seems to be a step forward in understanding the depths of the ocean so I can't wait to see what new research will be released o this topic!


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