A re-evaluation of the archaeal membrane lipid biosynthetic pathway
Villanueva, L.; Sinninghe Damsté, J.S.; Schouten, S. (2014). A re-evaluation of the archaeal membrane lipid biosynthetic pathway. Nat. Rev., Microbiol. 12(6): 438-448. dx.doi.org/10.1038/nrmicro3260
In: Nature Reviews. Microbiology. Nature Publishing Group: London. ISSN 1740-1526; e-ISSN 1740-1534, more
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Authors | | Top |
- Villanueva, L., more
- Sinninghe Damsté, J.S., more
- Schouten, S., more
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Abstract |
Archaea produce unique membrane lipids in which isoprenoid alkyl chains are bound to glycerol moieties via ether linkages. As cultured representatives of the Archaea have become increasingly available throughout the past decade, archaeat genomic and membrane lipid-composition data have also become available. In this Analysis article, we compare the amino acid sequences of the key enzymes of the archaeal ether-lipid biosynthesis pathway and critically evaluate past studies on the biochemical functions of these enzymes. We propose an alternative archaeal lipid biosynthetic pathway that is based on a 'multiple-key, multiple-lock' mechanism. |
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