Staying in Shape: The Haloarchaeal Cell Wall
Jerry Eichler, Adi Arbiv, Chen Cohen-Rosenzweig, Lina Kaminski, Lina Kandiba, Zvia Konrad and Shai Naparstek
from: Halophiles: Genetics and Genomes (Edited by: R. Thane Papke and Aharon Oren). Caister Academic Press, U.K. (2014)
Abstract
Haloarchaea are surrounded by different macromolecular structures comprising a cell wall. The composition of these cell walls is thought to contribute to the ability of these microorganisms to remain intact in the face of molar concentrations of salt. In many instances, the haloarchaeal cell is surrounded by a surface layer comprising a single protein component, the S-layer glycoprotein. Analysis of the S-layer glycoprotein has provided insight into the archaeal version of various post-translational modification, such as glycosylation and lipid modification. In other cases, haloarchaeal cells are surrounded by glycan-based structures. In this chapter, selected aspects of haloarchaeal cell wall biology are considered read more ...
