Chapter 4 - Prokaryotic Cell Structure & Function II Flashcards
Prokaryotes have a _____ __________, which separates the cytoplasm from the exterior environment and allows the cytoplasm to have a chemical composition different from the environment
Cell membrane
Would life be possible without the cell membrane?
No, it would not be; compartmentalization is required for life
What are sterols?
Sterols are molecules in the membranes of eukaryotes that help fill the space caused by unsaturated fatty acid chains and help to maintain the correct fluidity of the membrane over a wide temperature range
Do prokaryotes have sterols in their membranes?
No; very few can make sterols, although a few in the animal body will incorprate host sterols into their membranes
What do prokaryotes have in place of sterols?
Hopanoids
What is the exception to the rule that prokaryotes lack sterols in their membranes?
Mycoplasmas
What are hopanoids?
They are pentacyclic compounds that fold into a shape similar to that of sterols; they are made from a sterol precursor, squalene; the pathway of squalene synthesis is nearly universal among cells, but prokaryotes and eukaryotes differ in the subsequent fate of squalene
What are hopanoids made from?
A sterol precursor called squalene
In prokaryotes, squalene is converted into _____________ while in eukaryotes it is converted into _____________.
Hopanoids
Sterols
The cell membrane is a two-dimensional __________.
Fluid
True or false? The forces that hold individual phospholipids together are weak.
True; it is because of these weak interactions that plasma membranes are fluid with components able to move laterally across the membrane
Although most components of the plasma membrane are fluid, some are not. What is one exception discussed in class?
FtsZ
What is the FtsZ ring?
A protein that starts cell division and is needed in the middle of the cell
What is required for molecules in the plasma membrane to be spatially oriented, meaning that they do not move?
They must be “anchored” in some way to limit their diffusion
The prokaryotic cell membrane has more ________ and different __________ than most membranes.
Protein
Proteins
Why does the plasma membrane of prokaryotes have so many proteins?
Because they lack the specialized membrane-bound organelles present in eukaryotes
Prokaryotic cells have to bring in nutrients and excrete wastes, but their membranes are impermeable to most polar compounds. How then do they get what they need into the cell and get rid of what they do not need?
Permeases
Most prokaryotes have membrane-embedded electron transport proteins to get _____________ from respiration or photophosphorylation.
Energy
What are three primary functions of prokaryotic cell membrane proteins?
- Membrane-embedded electron transport proteins to get energy from respiration or photophosphorylation
- Site of synthesis of cell membrane proteins, outer membrane proteins, periplasmic proteins, secreted proteins, lipids, and cell walls
- Contains sensory proteins that allow cell to determine certain aspects of the chemical or physical conditions in which it resides
Prokaryotic cell membranes are typically about ___% lipid by weight and ___% protein by weight; however, lipids weigh far less, so lipids outnumber proteins by __ to __.
25%
75%
30 to 1
Why do some prokaryotes invaginate their cell membranes?
To provide additional surface area, especially for those that have high respiratory and photophosphorylation rates
Most prokaryotes lack intracellular membrane-bound organelles; however, some prokaryotes do have membrane-bound organelles. The acidocalcisomes store __________ and the anammoxisomes oxidize ammonia and nitrate into _____________ _______.
Phosphate
Nitrogen gas
What is the ExPortal?
An organelle dedicated to the biogenesis of secreted proteins in Streptococcus pyogenes
Although bacterial and eukaryotic cell membranes are always phospholipid bilayers, _____________ cell membranes may be a bilayer or monolayer of ether lipids.
Archael
What phospholipid generally makes up archael cell membranes?
Glycerol-diphytane-diethers
How do glycerol-diphytane-ethers differ from traditional lipids?
- The lipids are branched, usually saturated hydrocarbon chains
- The hydrocarbon side chains are linked to the glycerol by ether bonds rather than ester bonds
In some thermophilic extremophiles, two diethers can be linked covalently tail to tail to form a __________-____________-__________ that span the membrane, leading to a monolayer.
Diglycerol-dibphytane-tetraether
All cells have special structure that contain chromosomes. In eukaryotic cells, the structure is bounded by a double-layered membrane, and the entire structure is called a nucleus. In prokaryotic cells, there is no nuclear envelope, and the structure is called a _____________________.
Nucleoid
In general, obligate symbionts and parasites have genomes much _________ than free-living, host-associated microbes.
Smaller
The nucleoid is _________________ and usually contains a single circular chromosome.
Haploid
Most bacteria have a single, circular chromosome with _____________________ origin of replication.
A single origin of replication
What are plasmids?
Plasmids are small circular DNA molecules that are distinguished from chromosomes by the lack of genes essential for growth under all conditions and for core cellular functions
Is it possible for multiple nucleoids to be present in a prokaryotic cell?
Yes, in prokaryotic cells undergoing rapid multiplication, two to four nucleoids containing identical copies of the chromosome may be seen
The prokaryotic chromosome is ____________________.
Supercoiled
What does it mean to say that a chromosome is supercoiled?
The double helix itself is twisted such that the double helix is under stress to unwind but the unwinding tension is opposed by the hydrogen bonds between bases
What enzyme introduces supercoiling?
DNA gyrase
What category of proteins assist in maintaining the proper amount of supercoiling?
HIstones or histone-like proteins
_________________________ is essential to proper transcription and DNA repair; cells that are unable to engage and maintain such structure will die.
Supercoiling
Is the nucleoid a highly ordered structure?
Yes, it is not simply a concentration of DNA
How is the nucleoid arranged?
The nucleoid is arranged with the origina of replication at one end and the terminus at the other; in between the chromosome is condensed into approximately 500 loops by special condensing proteins; the central portions of the nucleoid are very densely packed
Where does transcription occur?
On the surface of the nucleoid
Why does transcription occur on the surface of the nucleoid?
Because the densely packed core transitions to a more loosely packed region where the longer loops extend into the cytoplasm at the nucleoid surface
How does DNA gyrase work?
It takes a loop of DNA, makes a double stranded cut where the loop crosses over, passes the top part of the loop through the gap, and reseals the broken DNA; this introduces one new twist to the DNA
Transcription and translation in prokaryotes occur simultaneously and are said to be _______________.
Coupled
What does the compaction of DNA into the nucleoid require?
Neutralization of DNA charges by polyamines
Why does neutralization of DNA need to occur for DNA compaction?
Because at neutral pH, the phosphate groups on DNA carry a negative charge, thus making it difficult to pack DNA tightly
In eukaryotic cells, how is the negative charge of DNA neutralized?
Basic histone proteins
What neutralizes charge on DNA in prokaryotes?
Polyamines
What are polyamines?
Small organic compounds with two, three, or four amino groups spaced approximately as far apart as the phosphates in DNA
How are polyamines able to neutralize DNA?
Because their amino groups are protonated and thus positively charged at neutral pH, they can effectively neutralize the charges on DNA and llow it to pack tightly
Why is coupling of protein synthesis important in prokaryotes?
Because it is the basis for attenuation, a mechanism of gene regulation
What is attenuation?
Transcriptional attenuation is a regulatory mechanism that causes premature termination of transcription under certain conditions, thereby preventing the expression of the mRNA required for expression of the corresponding gene products
What are the two principle proteins of the eukaryotic cytoskeleton?
Actin
Tubulin
True of false: Prokaryotes have proteins that are part of a cytoskeleton functionally similar to that of eukaryotes.
True; it was previously believed that prokaryotes lacked any type of cytoskeleton, but we now know this to be incorrect
What maintains prokaryotic cell shape and form the prokaryotic mitotis appartus?
The actin-like cytoskeleton
What type of bacteria have a helical band of filaments made of an actin-like protein called MreB?
Bacillus and spirilla
What is MreB?
An actin-like protein that underlies the cell membrane of prokaryotic cells that has a similar tertiary structure to actin but lacks sequence similarity (only about 10% conservation)
When MreB filaments are disruption, what occurs?
Spherical cells developed; thus it is believed they determine cell shape
In addition to helping determine cell shape, what else are MreB filaments thought to be involved with?
Intracellular motility
What specifically does MreB seem associated with regarding intracellular motility?
They seem to consitute the prokaryotic equivalent of a mitotic apparatus. Soon after chromosome replication, specific sequences near the duplicated origin regions - the prokaryotic equivalent of centromeres - appear to become attached to MreB filaments and are moved rapidly to opposite ends of the cell