| Abstract: | The lipids of Archaea, based on glycerol isopranoid ethers, can be used taxonomically to distinguish between phenotypic subgroups of the domain to delineate them clearly from all other organisms. This review is a general survey of the structural features of archaeal lipids and how they relate to survival in the harsh environments in which the Archaea live. The molecular organization of archaeal lipids in monolayers, artificial black membranes and vesicles and the unique properties and possible biotechnological applications of liposomes of the lipids are presented. The results with these liposomes are compared with similar data obtained with synthetic compounds which mimic the structure of archaeal lipids. Studies on computer simulation are also reported.A. Gambacorta is with the istituto per la Chimica di Molecole di interesse Biologico, CNR via Toiano 6, 80072 Arco Felice, Napoli, Italy; A Gliozzi is with the Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Genova, via Dodecanneso 33, 16146 Genova, Italy. M. De Rosa is with the Istituto di Biochimica delle Macromolecole. Seconda Università di Napoli, via Costantinopoli 16, 80132 Napoli, Italy. |
