Faced with desiccation stress, many organisms deploy strategies to maintain the integrity of their cellular components. Amorphous glassy media composed of small molecular solutes or protein gels present general strategies for protecting against drying. We review these strategies and the proposed molecular mechanisms to explain protein protection in a vitreous matrix under conditions of low hydration. We also describe efforts to exploit similar strategies in technological applications for protecting proteins in dry or highly desiccated states. Finally, we outline open questions and possibilities for future explorations.

中文翻译：

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使用分子玻璃和凝胶保护蛋白质免受干燥应激

面对干燥应激，许多生物体采取策略来维持其细胞成分的完整性。由小分子溶质或蛋白质凝胶组成的无定形玻璃介质提供了防止干燥的一般策略。我们回顾了这些策略和提出的分子机制，以解释低水合条件下玻璃体基质中的蛋白质保护。我们还描述了在技术应用中利用类似策略来保护干燥或高度干燥状态下的蛋白质的努力。最后，我们概述了未解决的问题和未来探索的可能性。