Lipids are among the taxonomic traits that can be used to distinguish between the three main groups of archaea (halophiles, thermophiles, and methanogens) and to clearly delineate the archaea from all other organisms. Archaeal phospholipids are built on glycero-1-phosphate and contain ether-linked isoprenoid chains while bacterial and eukaryal lipids are constituted of fatty acids ester linked to glycero-3-phosphate. The radical structural differences between lipids of archaea and bacteria or eukaryotes raise many questions about early evolution of cell membranes.

Today, there is increasing awareness of the multiple dynamic roles of lipids in cell life. Knowing how lipid molecular species are organized, interact with proteins, and change with environmental stress and metabolic state is crucial to understanding the membrane structure and the cellular functions.

The present view of lipid biology arises from the availability of technologies able to detect even minor lipid components with short lifetimes.

In the late 1990s, the technical innovation in mass spectrometry led to the development of “lipidomics” as an evolution of lipid biochemistry. Furthermore, progress in microscopy and the availability of many types of fluorescent probes, together with genetic engineering, presently offer the possibility to move quickly towards lipid systems biology.

As a consequence, besides being able to analyze major and minor lipids of all structures and sizes by mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance, we can study topology, structural organization, and dynamics of lipids by microscopy and fluorescent probes in living cells and microbes.

In spite of the similarity in the molecular backbone, the differences in the chemical nature of lipid chains and head group profoundly affect the chemical and physical properties as well as the functional role of archaeal lipids.The study of these unusual archaeal lipids and the comparison of their characteristics with those of bacterial and eukaryotic lipids may help us understand the origin and evolution of cell membrane.

In this frame, we would like to invite authors to submit original research and review articles on lipids of archaeal microorganisms. Potential topics include, but are not limited to:

• Lipidomics and analytical studies
• Novel archaeal lipid structures
• Pathways and enzymes involved in lipid biosynthesis and degradation
• Chemical and physical properties of archaeal membrane lipids
• Lipid organization and dynamics
• Computational studies
• Lipid-protein interactions and lipid modifications of proteins
• Lipids of archaeal viruses
• Evolutionary aspects

Before submission authors should carefully read over the journal's Author Guidelines, which are located at http://www.hindawi.com/journals/arch/guidelines/. Prospective authors should submit an electronic copy of their complete manuscript through the journal Manuscript Tracking System at http://mts.hindawi.com/submit/journals/arch/lba/ according to the following timetable: