Prokaryotic Cell Wall Components: Structure and Biochemistry

Crystalline bacterial cell surface layers (S-layers) are key structural components of many bacterial and archaeal cell envelopes. The broad application potential of S-layers in nanobiotechnology is based on specific intrinsic features of the monomolecular arrays which can be split into their constituting subunits and reassembled in suspension or on suitable surfaces (e.g., polymers, metals, silicon wafers) or interfaces (e.g., lipid films, liposomes). S-layers also represent a unique structural basis and patterning element for generating more complex supramolecular structures involving all major classes of biological molecules. Thus, S-layers fulfil key requirements as building blocks and patterning elements for the production of new supramolecular materials and nanoscale devices as required in molecular nanotechnology, nanobiotechnology and biomimetics.