title: Homeoviscous Adaptation of Membranes in Archaea.
abstract: Because membranes play a central role in regulating fluxes inward and outward from the cells, maintaining the appropriate structure of the membrane is crucial to maintain cellular integrity and functions. Microbes often face contrasted and fluctuating environmental conditions, to which they need to adapt or die. Membrane adaptation is achieved by a modification of the membrane lipid composition, a strategy termed homeoviscous adaptation. Homeoviscous adaptation in archaea involves strategies similar to that observed in bacteria and eucarya, such as the regulation of lipid chain length or saturation levels, as well as strategies specific to archaea, such as the regulation of the number of cycles along the isoprenoid chains or the regulation of the ratio between mono and bipolar lipids. Although not described yet described in hyperthermophilic bacteria, it is possible that these two strategies also apply to these latter organisms.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Géologie de Lyon, UMR CNRS 5276, Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon, 46, Allée d'Italie, F-69342, Lyon, France, poger@ens-lyon.fr.
authors.forename: Philippe M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Oger
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D001105:Archaea / Q000502:physiology*; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000737:chemistry; D008563:Membrane Lipids / Q000737:chemistry; D015394:Molecular Structure; D014783:Viscosity
chemical_list: D008563:Membrane Lipids