The ability of certain plants, invertebrates, and microorganisms to survive almost complete loss of water has long been recognized, but the molecular mechanisms of this phenomenon remain to be defined. One phylogenetically widespread adaptation is the presence of abundant, highly hydrophilic proteins in desiccation-tolerant organisms. The best characterized of these polypeptides are the late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins, first described in plant seeds >20 years ago but recently identified in invertebrates and bacteria. The function of these largely unstructured proteins has been unclear, but we now show that a group 3 LEA protein from the desiccation-tolerant nematode Aphelenchus avenae is able to prevent aggregation of a wide range of other proteins both in vitro and in vivo. The presence of water is essential for maintenance of the structure of many proteins, and therefore desiccation stress induces unfolding and aggregation. The nematode LEA protein is able to abrogate desiccation-induced aggregation of the water-soluble proteomes from nematodes and mammalian cells and affords protection during both dehydration and rehydration. Furthermore, when coexpressed in a human cell line, the LEA protein reduces the propensity of polyglutamine and polyalanine expansion proteins associated with neurodegenerative diseases to form aggregates, demonstrating in vivo function of an LEA protein as an antiaggregant. Finally, human cells expressing LEA protein exhibit increased survival of dehydration imposed by osmotic upshift, consistent with a broad protein stabilization function of LEA proteins under conditions of water stress.anhydrobiosis ͉ late embryogenesis abundant protein W ater is essential for life, but some organisms survive desiccation and the dry state for long periods during which metabolism and life processes come to a halt, but resume on rehydration. Desiccation tolerance, or anhydrobiosis (''life without water''), is found across all biological kingdoms, including animals and plants such as the nematode Aphelenchus avenae and the resurrection plant Craterostigma plantagineum (1-3). Investigations into the molecular mechanisms of desiccation tolerance have highlighted the importance of various hydrophilic proteins, chief among which are the late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins (4).LEA proteins have been known for many years to accumulate in maturing plant seeds as they acquire desiccation tolerance (5, 6), but their discovery in invertebrates (7-13) suggests that similar mechanisms govern anhydrobiosis in both animals and plants. LEA proteins are known to be largely unstructured in solution, probably because their extreme hydrophilicity favors association with water over intrachain interactions, but they can show increased folding when dried or when associated with phospholipid bilayers (14-16). Although LEA proteins are widely held to protect cells against water stress, their precise role has been a puzzle since they were first described. Recently, evidence supporting possible functions has bee...