The Biochemistry of Archaea (Archaebacteria), Volume 26

Preface. The archaea: Their history and significance (C.R. Woese). List of contributors. Chapter 1. Central metabolism of the archaea (M.J. Danson). 2. Bioenergetics of extreme halophites (V.P. Skulachev). 3. Biochemistry of methanogenesis (L. Daniels, B. Mukhopadhyay). 4. Bioenergetics and transport in methanogens and related thermophilic archaea (P. Schönheit). 5. Signal transduction in halobacteria (D. Oesterhelt, W. Marwan). 6. Ion transport rhodopsins (bacteriorhodopsin and halorhodopsin): Structure and function (J.K. Lanyi). 7. Proteins of extreme thermophiles (R. Hensel). 8. Cell envelopes of archaea: Structure and chemistry (O. Kandler, H. König). 9. Membrane lipids of archaea (M. Kates). 10. The membrane-bound enzymes of the archaea (L.I. Hochstein). 11. Chromosome structure, DNA topoisomerases, and DNA polymerases in archaebacteria (archaea) (P. Forterre, C. Elie). 12. Transcription in archaea (W. Zillig, P. Palm, H.-P. Klenk, D. Langer, U. Hüdepohl, J. Hain, M. Lanzendörfer, I. Holz). 13. Translation in archaea (R. Amils, P. Cammarano, P. Londei). 14. The structure, function and evolution of archaeal ribosomes (C. Ramirez, A.K.E. Köpke, D.-C. Yang, T. Boeckh, A.T. Matheson). 15. Halobacterial genes and genomes (L.C. Schalkwyk). 16. Structure and function of methanogen genes (J.R. Palmer, J.N. Reeve). 17. Archaeal hyperthermophile genes (J.Z. Dalgaard, R.A. Garrett). Epilogue (W.F. Doolittle). Index.

In the last 10 years, considerable information has accumulated on the biochemistry of archaea. In this volume, the subject as a whole is treated in a comprehensive manner. The book brings together recent knowledge concerning general metabolism, bioenergetics, molecular biology and genetics, membrane lipid and cell-wall structural chemistry and evolutionary relations, of the three major groups of archaea: the extreme halophiles, the extreme thermophiles, and the methanogens. Subjects included are: the evolutionary relationship of these microorganisms to all other living cells; special metabolic features of archeaea; protein structural chemistry; cell envelopes; molecular biology in archaea including DNA structure and replication, transcription apparatus, translation apparatus, and ribosomal structure; and a final chapter on the molecular genetics of archaea. This comprehensive scope ensures its usefulness to researchers, and stimulates further study in this rapidly developing field.