Archaea

Question 1

Description of archae

Answer 1

Single-celled

No cell nucleus

Question 2

Why is it hard to find archaea?

Answer 2

PCR primers used in surveys often for bacteria
Some are anaerobes
Some required commensal relationships to survive

Question 3

Archaea cell wall

Answer 3

Surface layer (outer layer) = monolayer of glycoproteins

Do not have peptidoglycan (have other polymers instead).

Question 4

Types of archaea cell wall

Answer 4

S-layer (harsher environment)

No S-layer & pseudo peptidogylcan

both still have villi

Question 5

Functions of the S-layer

Answer 5

Archaea

protection against bacteriophages
stop enzymes
adhesion
obtaining nutrients
molecular sieve
resistance to low pH

Question 6

Differences between cell membranes in archaea versus bacteria

Answer 6

archaea - ether-linked lipids/ branched phospholipid tails (less permeable to certain ions) & more complex lipids

bacteria - ester-linked lipids, linear phospholipid tails

Question 7

Archaea in the gut of newborns

Answer 7

Methanosphaera

Methanobrevibacter

Question 8

Archae and antibiotics

Answer 8

Pyrobaculum aerophilum protein fragment

• good treatment dosage gap between humans and bacteria