Bacterial Structure, Function, and Growth Flashcards
Bacterial Cell Wall Types
Gram Negative and Gram Postive
Outer Membrane
Bilayer membrane
Nucleoid
Where the bacterial DNA resides, specialized area that isn’t surroudned by a membrane
Gram Negative Bacteria
Smaller peptidoglycan wall, space between outer and inner membrane, fewer crosslinking between peptidoglycan strands, has LPS (lipopolysaccharide)
Flagellum
Structure used for motility
Gram Positive
Extensive peptidoglycan network, lysine crosslinking (oligosaccharide bridges), larger cell wall, has teichoic acid (lipoteichoic acid is lipid modified teichoic acid)
Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)
LPS, three portions, lipid A (endotoxin, fatty acids and hydrophobic), core polysaccharide (highly conserved in gram - bacteria), O antigen/somatic antigen (repeating unit, 4-20 repeats)
Teichoic Acids
Part of gram + bacterialRibitol teichoic acids- ribitol is the repeating unit
Glycerol teichoic acids- glyerol is the repeating subunit
The repeating chain is linked by phosphate
Can be modified on their side chains and can be antigenic
Recognized as molecular patterns for TLRs
Capsules
Made by polysaccharides, gelatenous, resistant to phagocytosis
Rarely, can be repeating amino acids, or d-glutinanic acids (anthrax bacterium)
Flagellae
Organs of motility,
single/multiple
Unipolar/bipolar
Can tumble
Pili/Fimbriae
Small portrusions on the surface of bacteria, can interact to form biofilms
Can also have sexual pili, initiated by a receptor protein which helps form a conjugation bridge
Cell Membrane
generates electormotive force for ATP, has a plasma membrane ATP-ase, selective permeability, involved cell division, lipid biosynthesis
Bacterial DNA
ciruclar, single stranded, not surrounded by a membrane
Polysome- multiple bound ribosomes
Translation and transcription coupled
Polycistronic- DNA can code multiple genes
Plasmid
Small circular units of DNA that can confer survival benefits to bacteria (drug resistance, fitness advantages)
Can be transferred with conjugation
Phage Conversion
When a given bacteria is infected with a bacteriophage and get incorporated DNA that confers a new phenotype
Bacterial Growth Curve
Lag Phase- The bacterium are still trying to establish growth, adapting to their environment
Growth phase- linear on a log graph, exponentlal growth
Stationary phase- resources are starting to become limited, and toxic metabolites accumulate, growth starts to slow
Death phase- number of viable bacteria decrease over time
Aerobic Baceria
need oxygen
They make catalases that can break down toxic oxygen free radicals
Anaerobe
Grow by fermentative metabolism, (if obligate, oxygen can kill)
Indifference
Ferments regardless of presence of oxygen
Facultative
Can do either, aerobic or anaerobic
Microaerophilic
Grow best at low oxygen, can grow without oxygen