Interaction of sugars and a model peptide

We propose to perform a NDIS experiments at the SANDALS diffractometer at T = 300 K on 7 aqueous solutions of NMA and trehalose and NMA and glucose, aimed at investigating the interaction of the two sugars with N-methylacetamide in solution. We have previous evidence of strong differences in the hydration properties of the two sugars, which may have a counterpart in the interaction of sugars with NMA, where NMA is a model system for the amide linkage of peptides and proteins. Investigating the interaction of this small molecule with trehalose and glucose in aqueous solution may address the longstanding question about the highest effectiveness of trehalose as a bio-protectant, compared to glucose. Indeed it is not yet clear if trehalose exploits its action by substituting water in the protein hydration shell, or not.