Abstract
All of the archaea (archaebacteria), the extreme thermoacidophiles, the extreme halophiles, and the methanogens, exist in the harsh environment of the earth. Their membrane lipids are mainly composed of the derivatives of archaeol (sn-2, 3-diphytanylglycerol diether) and its dimer, caldarchaeol (dibiphytanyldiglycerol tetraether) along with variations in the polar head groups.The unique properties of the archaeal lipids can be used to taxonomically distinguish the archaea from eubacteria and eukaryotes and also delineate the subgroups of the archaea. The structure and composition of the lipids derived from archaeol and caldarchaeol or their variants found in the three domains of archaea are described. The uniqueness of the archaeal lipids has been used to study the following areas : the phylogenical and evolutional aspects of the membranes, biotechnological applications such as liposomes with remarkable thermostability, and drug delivery system. Computer simulation studies of the three-dimensional structure of the archaeal lipid are also presented.
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