
Contents
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No Life without Liquid Water No Life without Liquid Water
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Carbon: The Key to Life Carbon: The Key to Life
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Covalent Bonds: Solid Bonds … Up to a Point Covalent Bonds: Solid Bonds … Up to a Point
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Not Too Strong, Not Too Weak: The Subtle Alchemy of Weak Bonds Not Too Strong, Not Too Weak: The Subtle Alchemy of Weak Bonds
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Proteins: Giants with Clay Feet Proteins: Giants with Clay Feet
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Proteins That Do Not Coagulate in Hell Proteins That Do Not Coagulate in Hell
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Well-Sheltered in an Electrostatic Cage Well-Sheltered in an Electrostatic Cage
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Hell: A Godsend for Science and Industry Hell: A Godsend for Science and Industry
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The DNA Double Helix: More Weak Bonds The DNA Double Helix: More Weak Bonds
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The Double Helix in Hell: Topology is Everything The Double Helix in Hell: Topology is Everything
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Magician Enzymes: DNA Topoisomerases Magician Enzymes: DNA Topoisomerases
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Repairs in Hell Repairs in Hell
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Poisons in Hell Poisons in Hell
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RNA Molecules: To Know them is to like Them RNA Molecules: To Know them is to like Them
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From Nucleotides to Amino Acids From Nucleotides to Amino Acids
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More Weak Bonds Central to Life More Weak Bonds Central to Life
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Rna in Hell Rna in Hell
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Increased Protection against Thermal Denaturation Increased Protection against Thermal Denaturation
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A Reinforced Skeleton A Reinforced Skeleton
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Why Aren’t There Any Eukaryotes from Hell? Why Aren’t There Any Eukaryotes from Hell?
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The Maximum Temperature for Life: The Story of a Membrane The Maximum Temperature for Life: The Story of a Membrane
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The Cell Cytoplasmic Membrane The Cell Cytoplasmic Membrane
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A Porous Epidermis at High Temperatures A Porous Epidermis at High Temperatures
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The Great Lipid Divide The Great Lipid Divide
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Cite
Abstract
A more technical chapter in which the author describes the molecular adaptations allowing hyperthermophiles thriving in hell. The chapter starts with reminder of the role of water and carbon in the chemistry of life and the importance of both strong (covalent) and weak chemical bonds in the architecture of macromolecules. The two types of damages affecting these bonds at high temperature, thermodegradation and thermodenaturation, respectively, are discussed, explaining the range of temperatures suitable for life on Earth. The mechanisms protecting proteins, nucleic acids and lipids against thermodegradation and thermodenaturation are described with reminders of the role of these macromolecules in cell physiology. This includes an experiment showing that circular DNA is stable up to 110°C, thanks to topological links between the two DNA strands. RNA is very fragile at high temperature and the author suggests that requirement for messenger RNA stability in eukaryotes could explain why there is no hyperthermophilic eukaryote. Membrane permeability appears to be the Achille’s heel of cells at high temperature and the unique phospholipids of archaea probably explain why most hyperthermophiles belong to this domain. Reading this chapter led you concluding that microbes from hell are not primitive organisms but marvels of adaptation
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