ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews a selected number of representative topics relating to the genetics and molecular biology of halophilic archaebacteria and the author shall try to share his enthusiasm and excitement for some of the molecular curiosities that these organisms exhibit. The discussion focuses mostly on gene sequences, gene organization, gene regulation, and gene expression and less on protein structure and function. The methodologies employed are not mysterious or highly specialized; rather they are the standard methods of biochemistry and molecular biology what has become known collectively as recombinant DNA technology. The next phase in the development of the molecular biology of halophilic archaebacteria will hinge on progress in three areas: the total mapping, cloning, and ordering of genomic DNAs, definition of natural genetic exchange systems, and the development of cloning vector-transformation systems.
