Chapter 1- Intro Flashcards
Are all microbes parasites?
No… Organisms can be in a symbiotic mutualism relationship that’s obligate Tori dependent and both members benefit or they can be in a non-symbiotic relationship synergism which means members cooperate and share nutrients.
What is the relative size difference between the different types of microbes? Which is the biggest which is the smallest?
Helminths are eukaryotic cells but they are macro organisms. They are the largest microbe. The smallest organism is a virus followed by a protozoan, bacteria, and then fungus.
Describe the shapes associated with bacteria.
Cocci can be perfect spheres, but they also can exist as oval, bean shaped or even pointed variance.
Rod/bacillus… They can be blocky, spindle-shaped, round ended, long and threadlike, or even club shaped or drumstick shaped.
Spirillum…is a rigid helix, twisted twice or more along its axis (like a corkscrew).
Spirochete … Another spiral cell containing periplasmic flagella as the spirochete more flexible form that resembles a spring.
What is the difference between bacterial, archaeal and fungal cell walls.
Bacteria cell walls have the presence of peptidoglycan and cell walls of archaea do not. Fungal cell walls are rigid and provide structural support and shape. They have a thick inner layer of polysaccharide fibers composed of chitin or cellulose and a thin outer layer of next glycans.
What is the Woese-Fox system? What is it based on?
It is a system based off of domains. The domains are the highest level of hierarchy and can contain many kingdoms and super kingdoms. The prokaryotic cell types are represented by the domains archaea and bacteria. The eukaryotes are all placed in the domain eukarya. This system is based off of the discoveries under microscope that showed Archaea resembling prokaryotic structure of bacteria but molecular biology has revealed that Archaea, though prokaryotic in nature, were actually more closely related to eukaryotic cells then to bacterial cells.
What are the three domains of life
Bacteria, Eukarya, Archaea.
What is taxonomy? What are the categories of taxonomy?
Taxonomy is the science of classifying living things. The order of taxonomy can be remembered by King Philip came over for great spaghetti.
Domain: kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, species.
When referring to microbes in text what is the appropriate nomenclature?
Full name both first and last will be italicized if in print, the first letter of the first name will be capitalized to see and the rest of the name will be in lower case. If The name is handwritten, it should be handwritten in cursive the first letter of the first name will be capitalized while the rest is in lowercase and underlined. it should still be italicized.
Based on the evolutionary timeline, how long have microbes been on earth?
The first prokaryotes appeared approximately 3.5 billion years ago. They were the only form of life for half of the earths history. Eukaryotes showed up just shy of 2 billion years ago.
Define evolutions
Evolution is the accumulation of changes that occur in organisms as they adapt to their environments. It is documented every day and in all corners of the planet, an observable phenomena testable by science. It is often referred to as theory of evolution which has led to great confusion among the public. Scientists use the term theory in a different way than the general public does. A theory in science is a principle that has undergone years and years of testing and has not been disproven.
Define the term UBIQUITOUS
It means present everywhere at the same time. This term is used to describe microbes. Microbes can be found everywhere, from deep in the earths crust to the polar ice caps and oceans to the bodies of plants and animals.
What is anoxygenic photosynthesis?
What is Oxygenic photosynthesis? How do these processes contribute to life on earth?
Anoxygenic photosynthesis is a type of photosynthesis that did not produce oxygen. Oxygen photosynthesis produces oxygen but also was much more efficient and extracting energy from sunlight. These processes are important because the anoxygenic photosynthesis lead to Oxygenic photosynthesis which led to the production of oxygen which also led to the use of oxygen for aerobic respiration and the formation of ozone both of which set off an explosion in species diversification.
How do you microbes shape the planet?
The temperature of the earth is regulated by gases and many of these gases are produced by microbes living in the environment and the digestive tracks of animals.
It is becoming increasingly evident that 50% of all organisms exist within and beneath the earths crust and these enormous underground community of microbes is a significant fluids on weathering, mineral extraction, and soil formation.
Bacteria and fungi live in complex association with plants that assist the plants and obtaining nutrients and water and may protect them against disease. A similar relationship occurs with animals.
List several ways that microbes are important to humans.
Biotechnology. This term is used to describe when humans manipulate micro organisms to make products and industrial setting. (Mine precious metals, rise and ferment sugars for alcohol)
Genetic engineering. It is an area of biotechnology that manipulates the genetics of microbes, plants, and animals for the purpose of creating new products and genetically modified organisms. (Drugs, hormones, enzymes)
Bioremediation. This term refers to the ability of micro organisms one already present or those introduced intentionally to restore stability or to clean up toxic pollutants.
Defined pathogen
Any agent (usually a virus, bacterium, fungus, protozoan, or helminth) that causes disease.
What is meant by emerging and re-emerging infectious disease? Give examples of each.
Emerging diseases are newer while reemerging diseases are older. Examples of emerging disease is Ebola and reemerging diseases include AIDS, Hep C, and viral encephalitis
What can cause gastric ulcers, diabetes, schizophrenia?
Helicobacter causes gastric ulcers.
The Borna agent can cause schizophrenia.
Basically there is an association that has been established between certain cancers and bacteria and viruses.
Describe the work and or contributions for Hooke.
The earliest record of microbes is in the works of Englishmen Robert Hooke. And the 1660s, Hooke studied a great day diversity of material from household objects, plants and trees; describe for the first time cellular structures and Treebark; And drew sketches of little structures that seem to be alive.
Describe the work and or contributions for van Leeuwenhoek.
First person to use a simple microscope
Describe the work and or contributions for Pasteur
Came up with the swan neck flask experiment that disproved spontaneous mutation. Discovered that microbes are in the air.
Describe the work and or contributions for Semmelweis
Showed quite clearly that women became infected in the maternity ward after examination by physicians coming directly from the autopsy room.
Describe the work and or contributions for Lister
Joseph Lister was the first to introduce aseptic technique’s. Aseptic technique are aimed at reducing microbes in a medical setting and preventing wound infections.
Describe the work and or contributions for Robert Koch
He established Koch’s postulates, A series of proofs, or logical steps, that verified the germ theory and put establish whether an organism was pathogenic and which disease is caused.
Define bio Genesis.
The belief that living things can only arise from others of the same kind.
What is the cell theory.
Living things come from pre existing cells
Define aseptic technique
Aseptic technique is a technique used to reduce microbes in a medical setting and prevent wound infections. This technique calls for the application of heat for sterilization.
When was the golden age of microbiology what occurred during this time.
The golden age of microbiology occurred between 1857 and 1914. The discoveries include: relationships between microbes and spoilage, relationships between microbes and disease, and immunity, and anti-microbial drugs.
Define Pasteurization
A technique in which heat is applied to liquids to kill potential agents of infection and spoilage, while at the same time pertaining the liquids flavor and food value.
What is the germ theory of disease?
Human diseases could arise from infection.
Describe the work and or contributions for spallanzani
Spallanzani boiled nutrient solutions and flasks and sealed them there where no microbial growth.
Describe the work and or contributions for Virchow
Verchow came up with the cell theory.
Define vaccination.
Exposing a person to the anti-genic components of a microbe without its pathogenic effects for the purpose of inducing a future protective response.
Define attenuation
To reduce the virulence of a pathogenic bacteria or virus by passing it through a non-native host or by long-term sub culture
Define immunity
And acquired resistance to an infection agent due to prior contact with that agent
Define bacteriology
The study of bacteria
Define mycology
The study of fungus
Define parasitology
The study of parasites
Define virology
The study of viruses
Describe restriction enzymes
Little molecular scissors inside of prokaryotes. They chop up DNA in a specific way.
Describe genetic recombination
A technology that makes it possible to transfer genetic material from one organism to another and to deliberately alter DNA
Describe polymerase chain reaction
Able to detect tiny amounts of DNA and then amplify them into quantities sufficient for studying
Describe biofilms
Biofilms are accumulations of bacteria and other microbes on surfaces. Very common in human body… Dental plaque!
Identify the four major elements
Carbon hydrogen oxygen nitrogen
What is the difference between a polar and nonpolar covalent bond?
Nonpolar covalent bonds – Atoms share the electron equally.
Polar covalent bonds – one atom is more electronegative. They do not share the electron equally.
Can an ionic bond be nonpolar or polar?
An ionic bond can be polar. Ion is a charged Atom… It would be considered anion.
Describe cation and anion
Cation- positively charged ion
Anion- negatively charged ion
List the four different types of chemical bonds which is the strongest? We guest?
Covalent bonds(strongest)
Ionic bonds
Hydrogen bonds (weakest)
Van Dee Waals bonds (weakest)
What is a carbon skeleton? What is the importance of a functional group?
It is a chain of carbon atoms in an organic molecule and the functional groups are responsible for chemical properties
List the four main macromolecules
Carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleic acids.
What are the properties of carbohydrates
Combination of carbon and water.
Monosaccharides, disaccharide, polysaccharide
What are the properties of lipids
Triglycerides phospholipids and steroids and waxes.
What are the properties of proteins
Amino acids are the building blocks for proteins. There are 20 different naturally occurring forms of amino acids.
What are the properties of nucleic acid
DNA which is the master computer of cells, RNA which is a helper
Define macro molecule
Large molecular compounds assembled from smaller subunits most notably biochemicals
Define monomer
A simple molecules that can be linked by chemical bonds to form larger molecules
Define polymer
A macromolecule made up of a chain of repeating units examples include starch protein and DNA
Define monosaccharide
A simple sugar such as glucose that is a basic building block for more complex carbohydrates
Define disaccharide
A sugar containing two monosaccharides example is sucrose which is a combination of fructose and glucose
Define polysaccharide
A carbohydrate that can be hydrylosized into a number of monosaccharides examples include cellulose, starch, glycogen
Define carbohydrate
A compound containing primarily carbon hydrogen and oxygen in a 1:2:1 ratio
Define cellulose
A long, fibrous polymer composed of beta – Glucose; one of the most common substances on earth
Define agar
Hey polysaccharide found in seaweed and commonly used to prepare solid culture media
Define peptidoglycan
A network of polysaccharide chains cross-linked by short peptides that form the rigid part of bacterial cell walls gram-negative bacteria have a smaller amount of this rigid structure then do gram-positive bacteria
Define lipopolysaccharide
And molecular complex of lipids and carbohydrates found in the bacterial cell wall
Define glycocalyx
A filamentous network of carbohydrate rich molecules that coats cells
Define chitin
A polysaccharide similar to cellulose and chemical structure this polymer makes up the horny substance of the exoskeleton of arthropods and certain fungi
What types of molecules are considered lipids
Fats, phospholipids, steroids and waxes
Define glycosidic bond
A bond that joins monosaccharides to form disaccharides and polymers
Define peptide bond
The covalent union between two amino acids that forms between the amine group of one and the carboxyl group of the other the basic bond of proteins
Describe the component used to synthesize a triglyceride
Glycerol
What is a saturated fatty acid?
No double bonds
What is unsaturated fatty acid?
At least 1 double bond
What is meant by cis and trans configurations
Cis- hydrogen atoms on the same side of the double bond
Trans- hydrogen atoms on opposite sides of the double bond
What is the difference between triglycerides and phospholipids?
A triglyceride is a type of lipid composed of a glycerol molecule bound to three fatty acid's A phospholipid is a class of lipids that compose a major structural component of cell membranes
Explain what occurs when phospholipids are placed into an Aqueous solution
These lipids have A water loving charge on the head of the molecule and a water fearing region that corresponds to the long uncharged tail. When exposed to an aqueous solution, the charged heads are attracted to the water phase and the nonpolar tails are repelled from the water phase. This property causes lipids to naturally assume single and double layers, which contribute to their biological significance.
Within an animal cell, where can cholesterol be found? What is the purpose?
Cholesterol can be found in the cell membrane of animal hormones. Cholesterol reinforces the structure of the cell membrane and animal cells and in an unusual group of cell wall deficient bacteria called the mycoplasmas.
What is the composition of a wax?
Alcohol and saturated fatty acid
How are proteins formed?
Chains of amino acids
What is a peptide
Usually refers to a molecule composed of short chains of amino acid such as a dipeptide (two amino acid) l tripeptide (three) and a tetrapeptides (four).
What is a polypeptide?
Contains an unspecified number of amino acids but usually has more than 20 and is often a smaller subunit of the protein.
What are the various levels of protein structure? How is each level established?
Primary structure is the type, number, and order of amino acids and the chain, which is very extensively from protein to protein.
Secondary structure arises when various functional groups exposed on the outer surface of the molecule into rat by forming hydrogen bonds.
Tertiary structure created by additional bonds between functional groups.
Quaternary structure in which more than one polypeptide forms a large multi unit protein.
If a protein is placed into an aqueous solution that is below its optimal pH, what happens to that protein?
It becomes denatured.
What is an enzyme?
They are catalysts for all chemical reactions in cells, and nearly every reaction requires a different enzyme.
What is the central dogma of molecular biology?
DNA–> RNA–> protein!
What molecules are considered nucleic acid’s?
DNA & RNA
Describe the structure of a nucleotide.
The basic structural unit of DNA and RNA.
RNA – each nucleotide consist of a phosphate and a sugar (ribose) and a nitrogenous base such as adenine, guanine, cytosine, or urucil
DNA- each nucleotide consists of a phosphate and a sugar (deoxyribose) and a nitrogenous base such as adenine, guanine, cytosine, or thymine.
Which nitrogenous bases are purines? Pyrimidines?
Purines- adenine, guanine
Pyrimidines- uracil, thymine, cytosine
How are the strands of a DNA double helix held together?
Hydrogen bonds
What are the differences between DNA and RNA?
DNA is a double helix while RNA is a single strand. DNA is basically the master computer of cells because it contains a special coated genetic program with detailed and specific instructions for each organism’s hereditary. RNA is basically a helper because it transfers the details from DNA to molecules responsible for carrying out DNAs instructions and translating the DNA program into proteins that can perform life functions.
Describe the structure and function of ATP. How does it release and store energy?
ATP is a nucleotide containing adenine, ribose, and three phosphates rather than just one. When the bonds between the phosphates are broken energy is released there is a high amount of energy that’s released between the third and fourth bond. Breakage of that bond of the terminal phosphate releases energy to do cellular work and also generate ADP. ADP can be converted back to ATP when the third phosphate is restored which means ADP serves as an energy depot.
What is the difference between a prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell?
Eukaryotic cells have a nucleus and are larger. They can be micro organisms or macro organisms. Prokaryotic cells are less complex, no nucleus and smaller. Prokaryotic cells do not have all the organelles that eukaryotic cells do however they are only micro organisms.
