Diversity and Biology of Bacteria Flashcards
Bacteria are
Single celled, without a nucleus
We are interested in bacteria because
they play a role in our body and form what we call the . microbiome (1-3% of our body weight)
Tuberculosis is a disease where
1.7 million people die from the disease each year and is one of the top 10 causes of death worldwide
Bacterial meningitis is
an infection of the brain?
Bacterial infections can also be…
foodborne (e.g. salmonella, camplyobacter)
The nucleoid is…
a double stranded circle bacterial chromosomes
Bacteria contain 70S ribosomes which contain…
30S and 50S subunits. These are major targets for antibacterial drugs
50S RNA is a piece of RNA which…
have conserved parts and some diverse parts?
Bacteria can also have plasmids which are…
Circular or linear extrachromosomal DNA’s not usually essential for cell survival. Capable of autonomous replication (able to replicate independently).
Plasmids are needed in bacteria for…
Preventing from being attacked by antibodies, and the plasmid usually encodes for proteins which aid in the invasion of host cells.
Shigella spp is a….
Human specific pathogen which can cause an acute intestinal infection. This occurs from fecal oral transmission. The bacteria can replicate in macrophages and is therefore able to evade the immune response.
Cell membrane of bacteria is…
fairly similar to mammals in structure, and have various functions such as electron transport and energy production.
Cell wall is a…
Rigid layer around the cytoplasmic membrane - this resists osmotic pressure.
bacteria is classified
according to their cell wall characteristics. Gram Strain is an example of this.
If you have bacteria, you can fix it onto organ cells, and stain the cells.
By doing so, you will find 2 different results to show gram positive or negative.
The difference between gram positive and gram negative bacteria is
gram negative have 2 layers of membranes and between the layers are lipoprotein and peptidoglycan. Gram positive is where the lipoprotein and peptidoglycan is exposed and is not between any layer.
A peptidoglycan is
a complex of sugars with side chains of amino acids.
It is designed to protect the cell wall and is rigid in shape. Peptidoglycans are recognised by the immune system. Some bacteria can change their peptidoglycan composition, our immune system may not detect the bacteria as before.
Teichoic acids are…
chains of glycerol phosphate/ ribitol phosphate. They are bound covalently to peptidoglycan
Gram negative bacteria have…
a much more complex cell wall. They also have a thinner peptidoglycan than gram positive.
Lipopolysaccharides are
essential for bacterial viability. The hydrophilic O polysaccharide repels hydrophobic molecules.
Porins allow…
The uptake of small hydrophilic molecules.
The S- layer is…
frequently found on the surface of gram positive and gram negative cells. The s layer functions are a cell wall biogenesis and the control of cell divison
Capsules are…
amphorous polysacharride slime around cells. It prevents the recognition of the bacteria by the immune system. Several genes encode the capsules.
The flagella
Provides motility and is attached via hook and basal body containing motor proteins and switch proteins (control direction of rotation)