Archaea are microorganisms that can survive in extreme envir

Archaea are microorganisms that can survive in extreme environments, such as high temperature, low or high salt conditions. It has been observed that the cell membrane in these organisms is markedly different than eukaryotic cells. Given the phospholipid structure below, explain what differences might allow for increased stability

Solution

Answer:

Ether linkages and saturated fatty acids.

First, the nonpolar chains are joined to a glycerol backbone by ether rather than ester linkages. The ether linkage is more resistant to hydrolysis. Second, the alkyl chains are branched rather than linear. They are built up from repeats of a fully saturated five-carbon fragment. These branched, saturated hydrocarbons are more resistant to oxidation.