Archaeal membrane

An archaeal cell membrane is built mainly from lipids whose hydrocarbon chains attach to glycerol by ether bonds. Its distinctive chemistry and, in some species, monolayer structure help membranes function under varied environmental conditions.

Ether lipid: A lipid containing an ether bond between glycerol and a hydrophobic chain. Archaeal membrane lipids are a distinctive class of ether lipids.
Ether bond: A chemical linkage in which an oxygen atom connects two carbon-containing groups. Ether linkages anchor archaeal hydrocarbon chains to glycerol.
Extremophile: An organism that grows optimally in environmental conditions considered extreme for most life. Many archaeal membrane adaptations are studied in organisms living under extreme conditions.
Bacterial membrane: A cell membrane built mainly from ester-linked lipids with glycerol-3-phosphate backbones. Its usual lipid bonds and backbone stereochemistry differ from those of archaeal membranes.
Glycerol-1-phosphate: A phosphorylated three-carbon alcohol used as the backbone of archaeal membrane lipids. Archaea build their membrane lipids on this stereoisomer of glycerol.
Tetraether lipid: An archaeal lipid whose two glycerol ends are connected by long hydrophobic chains. These lipids can span the membrane and form a monolayer.
Thermophile: An organism that grows optimally at high temperatures. Thermophilic archaea often have membrane features that limit heat-driven disruption.
Eukaryotic membrane: A membrane system in eukaryotic cells, built mainly from ester-linked glycerolipids. Eukaryotic membranes offer a familiar comparison for archaeal lipid architecture.
Isoprenoid: A diverse family of compounds assembled from five-carbon isoprene units. Branched isoprenoid chains form the hydrophobic portions of many archaeal lipids.
Monolayer: A structure consisting of one layer of molecules rather than two or more. Membrane-spanning tetraether lipids can create a continuous lipid monolayer.

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