Remaut H., Fronzes R. (Eds.) Bacterial Membranes: Structural and Molecular Biology

Caister Academic Press, 2014. - 515 p. - Membranes are pivotal components of life, acting as formidable insulators that demarcate a living cell; generate energy in the form of ion gradients; transport ions, proteins, nucleic acids, nutrients, and metabolites; and provide transduction systems to sense the environment and to communicate with other cells. Membranes also provide shape and structure to cells and are important in cell motility. In addition, they fulfill a scaffolding function for proteins and organelles that interact with the extracellular environment. Written by specialists in the field, this book provides a comprehensive overview of the structural and molecular biology of cellular processes that occur at or near bacterial membranes. The book presents and discusses recent progress on the function and involvement of membranes in bacterial physiology, enabling a greater understanding of the molecular details of the cell envelope, its biogenesis, and its function. The topics covered include:
cell wall growth
shape and division
the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria
outer membrane protein biosynthesis
bacterial lipoproteins
mycobacteria
lipid composition
ABC transporters
transport across the outer membrane
drug passage across membranes
bacterial membrane proteins
secretion systems
signal transduction
signalling mechanisms
bacterial membranes in adhesion and pathogenesis
membranes as a drug target.
This cutting-edge text will provide a valuable resource for all those working in this field and is recommended for all microbiology libraries.