Archaeal Cell Walls

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Archaeal Cell Walls

Helmut König, Johannes Gutenberg‐Universität, Mainz, Germany

Published online: April 2001

DOI: 10.1038/npg.els.0000384

Full Article on Wiley Online Library

Abstract
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References

Archaea represent the third domain of life with the Bacteria and Eukarya. They have developed different types of cell envelopes.

Keywords: glutaminylglycan; heteropolysaccharide; methanochondroitin; pseudomurein; S-layer (glyco-)protein; Archaea; cell envelope

References
	Baumeister W and Lembcke G (1992) Structural features of archaebacterial cell envelopes. Journal of Bioenergetics and Biomembranes 24: 567–575.
	Beveridge TJ and Graham LL (1991) Surface layers of bacteria. Microbiological Reviews 55: 684–705.
	book Kandler O and König H (1985) "Cell envelopes of archaebacteria". In: Woese CR and Wolfe RS (eds), The Bacteria. A Treatise on Structure and Function. Archaebacteria, vol. VIII, pp. 413–457. New York: Academic Press.
	book Kandler O and König H (1993) "Cell envelopes of archaea: structure and chemistry". In: Kates M, Kushner DJ and Matheson AT (eds), The Biochemistry of Archaea (Archaebacteria), pp. 223–259. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science Publishers.
	König H (1988) Archaeobacterial cell envelopes. Canadian Journal of Microbiology 34: 395–406.
	König H, Hartmann E and Kärcher U (1994) Pathways and principles of the biosynthesis of methanobacterial cell wall polymers. Systematic and Applied Microbiology 16: 510–517.
	Kreisl P and Kandler O (1986) Chemical structure of the cell wall polymer of Methanosarcina. Systematic and Applied Microbiology 7: 293–299.
	Messner P and Sleytr UB (1992) Crystalline bacterial cell-surface layers. Advances in Microbial Physiology 33: 213–274.
	Niemetz R, Kärcher U, Kandler O, Tindall BJ and König H (1997) The cell wall polymer of the extremely halophilic archaeon Natronococcus occultus. European Journal of Biochemistry 249: 905–911.
	book Schleifer KH, Steber J and Mayer H (1982) Chemical composition and structure of the cell wall of Halococcus morrhuae. Zentralblatt für Bakteriologie, Mikrobiologie und Hygiene, Serie C3, 171–178.
	book Sumper M and Wieland FT (1995) "Bacterial glycoproteins". In: Montreuil J, Vliegenthart JFG and Schachter H (eds) Glycoproteins, pp. 455–473. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
	book Woese CR and Wolfe RS (eds) (1985) "The Bacteria. A Treatise on Structure and Function", vol. VIII: Archaebacteria. New York: Academic Press.
Further Reading
	book Beveridge TJ and Koval SF (eds) (1993) Advances in Paracrystalline Bacterial Surface Layers. New York: Plenum Press.
	book Kates M, Kushner DJ and Matheson AT (eds) (1993) The Biochemistry of Archaea (Archaebacteria). Amsterdam: Elsevier.
	book König H and Messner P (eds) (1997) "International Workshop on Structure, Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Applications of Microbial S-Layers". Special Issue. FEMS Microbiology Reviews 20 (1–2): 5–175.
	book König H (1994) "Analysis of archaebacterial cell envelopes". In: Goodfellow M and O'Donnell AG (eds), Chemical Methods in Bacterial Systematics, pp. 85–119. New York: Wiley.
	book König H (1995) "Isolation and analysis of cell walls from methanogenic archaea". In: Robb FT, Place AR, Sowers KR, Schreier HJ, DasSarma S and Fleischmann EM (eds), Archaea. A Laboratory Manual, pp. 315–328. Baltimore: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.
	book Robb FT, Place AR and Sowers KR et al. (eds) (1995) Archaea. A Laboratory Manual, pp. 315–328. Baltimore: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.
	book Sleytr UB, Messner P, Pum D and Sára M (eds) (1996) Crystalline Bacterial Cell Surface Proteins. New York: Academic Press.

Article Title:	Archaeal Cell Walls
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	Figure 1. CM, cytoplasmic or plasma membrane; GC, glycocalyx; HP, heteropolysaccharide sacculus; MC, methanochondroitin matrix; PM, pseudomurein sacculus; PS, proteinaceous sheath; SL, S-layer.
	Figure 2. Chemical structure of the pseudomurein.
	Figure 3. Proposal for the biosynthesis of the pseudomurein. I. Cytoplasmic stage: formation of the UDP-activated disaccharide and the UDP-activated pentapeptide intermediates. II. Cytoplasmic stage: formation of the UDP-activated disaccharide pentapeptide. III. Lipid stage: formation of undecaprenyl pyrophosphate (UdP-PP) pentapeptide and tetrapeptide intermediates. During transpeptidation one C-terminal alanine residue is split off.

Archaeal Cell Walls

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