Evaluation of the Novel Ether Lipids of Archaebacteria for Use in Ultrathin Membrane Technologies: Research Initiation Award

由古细菌乙醚类脂形成的平面膜和泡状膜将被表征和评估为潜在的仿生膜。古细菌是最近发现的一种生命形式，生活在极端环境中，包括饱和盐溶液中的pH值低于2.0或大于9.0，温度高于正常沸点的水。从古细菌的质膜中分离出的极性脂含有乙醚键，而不是通常在膜脂中发现的酯键。酯键不太容易氧化和水解；因此，可以用它们构建更稳定的膜模拟物。由于乙醚类脂含有与正常细胞膜相似的极性基团，但比正常细胞脂更稳定，因此它们似乎是构建合成细胞膜类似物的理想候选者。该项目将尝试：(1)构建具有良好选择性和通量的超薄分离膜；(2)制作电极涂层以固定化催化脂类羟化的酶。

Planar and vesicular membranes formed by archaebacteria ether lipids will be characterized and assessed as potential biomimetic membranes. Archaebacteria are a recently discovered life-form living in extreme environments including pH values less than 2.0 or greater than 9.0 in saturated salt solutions at temperatures greater than the normal boiling point of water. Polar lipids isolated from plasma membranes of the archaebacteria contain an ether linkage, rather than the ester linkages usually found in membrane lipids. Ester linkages are less susceptible to oxidation and hydrolysis; thus, more stable membrane mimetics can be constructed from them. Since the ether lipids contain polar groups like those in normal cell membranes, but are more stable than normal cell lipids, they seem to be ideal candidates for constructing synthetic analogues of cell membranes. The project will attempt: (1) to construct ultra thin separation membranes with outstanding selectivity and fluxes and (2) to make electrode coating to immobilize enzymes that catalyze hydroxylation of lipophiles.