Takens, C (2023) The Distribution of Ether Lipids in Bacteria. Master's Thesis / Essay, Biomolecular Sciences.
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Abstract
One of the most distinguishing features of bacteria and archaea are the lipid compositions of their cell membranes. Bacterial membrane lipids consist of fatty acids that are ester-linked to an sn-glycerol-3- phosphate backbone, whereas archaeal membrane lipids consist of isoprenoid chains ether-linked to sn-glycerol-1-phosphate. This separation of membranes – the lipid divide – is proposed to have been one of the driving forces behind the speciation of archaea and bacteria from which all life on earth originated. However, recent evidence has shown that this lipid divide is not as clear-cut as once thought, and several membrane lipid features deemed exclusive to archaea have been found in bacteria as well. In this essay, I investigate the distribution of ether-linked lipids in bacteria and compare the enzymatic machinery involved in the biosynthesis of bacterial ether lipids to explore the evolutionary origins of ether lipids in bacteria and the nuances of the lipid divide.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master's Thesis / Essay) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Driessen, A.J.M. |
| Degree programme: | Biomolecular Sciences |
| Thesis type: | Master's Thesis / Essay |
| Language: | English |
| Date Deposited: | 27 Nov 2023 09:16 |
| Last Modified: | 27 Nov 2023 09:16 |
| URI: | https://fse.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/31677 |
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