The Cell Membrane of <i>Sulfolobus</i> spp.—Homeoviscous Adaption and Biotechnological Applications

• Main Authors: Kerstin Rastädter, David J. Wurm, Oliver Spadiut, Julian Quehenberger
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-05-01
• Series: International Journal of Molecular Sciences
• Subjects: archaea; <i>Sulfolobus</i>; homeoviscous adaption; membrane; tetraether; diether
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/21/11/3935

The microbial cell membrane is affected by physicochemical parameters, such as temperature and pH, but also by the specific growth rate of the host organism. Homeoviscous adaption describes the process of maintaining membrane fluidity and permeability throughout these environmental changes. Archaea, and thereby, <i>Sulfolobus</i> spp. exhibit a unique lipid composition of ether lipids, which are altered in regard to the ratio of diether to tetraether lipids, number of cyclopentane rings and type of head groups, as a coping mechanism against environmental changes. The main biotechnological application of the membrane lipids of <i>Sulfolobus</i> spp. are so called archaeosomes. Archaeosomes are liposomes which are fully or partly generated from archaeal lipids and harbor the potential to be used as drug delivery systems for vaccines, proteins, peptides and nucleic acids. This review summarizes the influence of environmental parameters on the cell membrane of <i>Sulfolobus</i> spp. and the biotechnological applications of their membrane lipids.