Lecture 1A : Introduction to Microbial Physiology and Prokaryotic Cell Structures Flashcards
What is microbial Physiology?
Study of cell functions
Which is included in the study of microbial physiology?
- Microbial growth
- Microbial metabolism
- Microbial cell structure
Microbial physiology is “___”
Structure-function relationships in microorganisms, especially how microbes respond to their environment
The focus of OUR microbial physiology
Bacteria, particularly gram-negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli
Major morphologies of prokaryotic cells
- Coccus
- rod/bacillus
- sprillum
spherical or ovoid
coccus
Cylindrical
spirillum
curved or spiral
spirillum
Morphology typically DOES NOT predict…..?
- Physiology
- ecology
- phylogeny
- other properties of a prokaryotic cell
The size range for prokaryotes
0.2 µm to >700 µm in diameter
Examples of very large prokaryotes
- Epulopiscium fishelsoni (Italicized)
- Thiomargarita namibiensis
Size range for eukaryotic cells
2 to >600 µm in diameter
Advantages of being small
- More surface area to cell volume
- greater nutrients and waste product exchange
- tend to grow faster
- mutations
- eukaryotic cells adapt slower
Cellular organisms ___ µm in diameter are unlikely.
<0.15
why is lower than <0.15 µm in diameter is unlikely?
- need volume to house proteins, nucleic acids, ribosomes etc
Open oceans tend to contain small cells (0.2–0.4 µm in
diameter) known as ____
Ultramicrobacteria
Genomes are highly streamlined, missing functions that must be supplied by other microbes or hosts (plants and animals).
Ultramicrobacteria
Relationship between minimum size and environment
- Dictates the degree of interaction between inside and outside
- affect two important parameters that are related
- Cells of a given type maintain a characteristic cell size to function efficiently
Microorganism that are an example of the size-environment relationship
Verrumicorbiales
Nanobacteria
New isolates that grow well and maintain small cell size under relatively high nutrient growth conditions
Verrucomicorbiales
a gram negative bacteria, and abundant within the environment.
verrucomicorbiales
dwell (and are cultivated) in a relatively nutrient-rich environment, yet maintain their small cell dimensions
Nanobacteria
General structure of cytoplasmic membrane
Phospholipid bilayer containing embedded proteins
- contains hydrophobic/philic
Size of the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane
8-10 nm
Sterol-like molecules
Hopanoids
Main function of hopanoids
Helps with the integrity of the brain
The linkage that conect fatty acid to glycerol
ester linkage
Linkage present in bacteria
ester
Linkage that is present in archea
Ether
ether is only present in
archea
Archeal lipids have ___ instead of fatty acids
isoprenes
Major lipids in archeal membrane
- Phosphoglycerol with phytanyl
- diphosphoglyceron tetraethers with biphytanyl
The function of Cytoplasmic membrane
- Permeability barrier
- Protein anchor
- energy conservation and consumption
- Polar and charged molecules must be transported.
- Transport proteins accumulate solutes against the concentration gradient.
Permability barrier
holds transport proteins in place
Protein anchor
generation of proton motive force
energy conservation and consumption
The Bacterial Cell Walls
Peptidoglycan
Species of bacteria is seperated into two groups based on ____ ____
Gram stain
Gram-negative cell wall
two layers
- LPS
- Peptidoglycan
Gram-positive cell wall
thicker (primarily one layer of peptidoglycan)
rigid layer that provides strength
peptidoglycan
Components of peptidoglycan
- Alternating modified glucose
- amino cids
- cross-linked
The alternating modified glucose in peptidoglycan
NAG and NAM
NAG
N-acetylglucosamine
NAM
N-acetylmuramic acid
location of NAG and NAM linkage
Beta-1,4 linkages
the enzyme that can break peptidoglycan, by cleaving bonds between sugar
Lysozyme
Number of peptidoglycan in a gram-positive cell wall
up to 190
gram-positive cell wall commonly have ____
Teichoic acids
Acidic substances, covalently bound to peptidoglycan
Techoic acids
teichoic acids covalently bound to
membrane lipids
Lipoteichoic acids
Few prokaryotes that lacks cell walls
- mycoplasmas
- themoplasma
group of pathogenic bacteria related to gram-positives
mycoplasmas
The Outer Membrane
Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)
Components of LPS
- core poly
- O-specific-poly
- Lipid A
LPS is a barrier against??
Antibiotics and other harmful agents
LPS replaces most of ____ in the outer half of outer membrane
Phospholipids
Lipid A, the toxic component of LPS, not released by the cell
Endotoxin (Lipid A)
space located between cytoplasmic and outer membranes
- houses many extracelluar proteins
Periplasm
size of periplasm
approx. 15 nm wide
transmembrane protein channels for entrance and exit of solutes
Porins
The archeal cell walls have no ____ but _____
- no peptidoglycan
- pseudomurein
- found in cell walls of certain methanogenic Archaea
- polysaccharide similar to peptidoglycan
Pseudomurein
components of pseudomurein
- NAG and NAT
NAG
N-Acetylglucosamine
NAT
N-acetyltalosaminuronic acid
glycosidic bonds of pseudomurein
beta-1,3
___ and ___ cannot break pseudomurein
lysozyme and penicillin
Cells walls of some archaea lack pseudomurein so they contain ___ ____ ___
other polysaccharide polymers
Polysaccharide polymers for archea that lacks pseudomurein
S-layers
- most common cell wall type (in Archaea)
- consist of protein or glycoprotein
- paracrystalline structure
- in many organisms, present in addition to other cell wall
components, usually polysaccharides - always outermost layer
S-layers
not considered part of the cell because these do
not confer significant structural length
Capsules and slime layers
tightly attached, tight matrix
capsules
capsules is visible if treated with
India ink
loosely attached, easily deformed
Slime layer
How does capsule and slime layer cause virulence factors
protecs against phagocytosis of cells
functions of capsules and slime layers
- formation of biofilm
- attachment to surfaces
- virulence factors
- prevents dehydration/dessication
filamentous protein structures about 2-10nm wide
Fimbriae and pili
enable organisms to stick to surfaces or form pellicles
Fimbriae
thin sheets of cells on a liquid surface
pellicles
are typically longer and fewer (1 or a few) found per cell than fimbriae
Pili
types of pili
- conjugative/sex pili
- type IV pili
facilitates genetic exchange between cells
Conjugative/sex pili
adhere to host tissues and support twitching motility
Type IV pili
- Archaeal “grappling hooks”
- assist in surface attachement , forming piofilms structurally resemble type IV pili except for barbed terminus , which attaches cells to other
Hamus/hami
energy reserves, carbon reservoirs, and/or have special functions
Cell inclusions
cell inclusions is enclosed by
thin membrane
cell inclusions reduces
osmotic stress
a lipid polymer used as biodegradable plastic
Poly-beta-hydroxyburic acid (PHB)
Types of cell inclusions
- Polyphosphate granules
- Sulfur globules
- Carbonate minerals
- Magnetosomes
a inclusions that is phospho-related, inorganic phosphate
Polyphosphate granules
elemental sulfur found in periplasm , oxidized to sulfate
Sulfur granules
biomineralization of barium , strontium, and Mg
Carbonate materials
magnetic iron oxides ;allow well to undeg magrenotaxis
- migration along magnetic field lines
Magnetosomes
- confer bouyancy in planktonic cells
- gas-filled structures made of protein
Gas vesicles
shape of gas vesicles
Conical-shaped
Gas vesicles is impermeable to
Water and solutes
structure of gas vesicles
Two proteins (Gvp A and Gvp C)
Endospores is formed during
Sporulation or endosporulation
- Highly differentiated resistant to heat, harsh chemicals, and radiation
Endospores
Survival structures to endure unfavorable growth conditions
endospores
the bacterial life cycle where endospore is formed
dormant stage
Endospore is present only on?
Gram-positive bacteria
Types of endospore location
- terminal
- Subterminal
- Central
bulge at the end of the cell
Terminal endospores
endospore is almost in the middle
subterminal endospores
endspore is located at the center
central endospores
Steps of endospore formation and germination
- Activation (heated for several minutes at elevated but sublethal temp)
- Germination (rapid, in minutes, loss of resistance to heat and chemicals)
- outgrowth (swelling from water uptake, synthesis of RNA, proteins and DNA)
layers of endospores
- Exposporium
- Spore coat
- Core wall
- Cortex
- DNA
Endospore contains ____ acid
dipocolinic acid
sCore of endospores contains
- small acid-soluble spore proteins (SASP)
bind and protect DNA and function as carbon and energy source for outgrowth
SASP
causes the dryness of the spore
calcium DPA
NAT
N-acetyltalosaminuronic acid