Trehalose effects on α-crystallin aggregates

α-Crystallin in its native state is a large, heterogeneous, low-molecular weight (LMW) aggregate that under certain conditions may progressively became part of insoluble high-molecular weight (HMW) systems. These systems are supposed to play a relevant role in eye lens opacification and vision impairment. In this paper, we report the effects of trehalose on α-crystallin aggregates. The role of trehalose in α-crystallin stress tolerance, chaperone activity and thermal stability is studied. The results show that trehalose stabilizes the α-crystallin native structure, inhibits α-crystallin aggregation, and disaggregates preformed LMW systems not affecting its chaperone activity.