Module 2 - Bacterial Morphology and Taxonomy Flashcards
How big are most eukaryotic cells?
Bigger than 5 um
How big are most bacterial cells?
0.5 - 5 um in length
How big are most viruses?
Less than 0.5 um
Rank the following in size order: viruses, eukaryotic cells, bactera
Viruses < bacteria < eukaryotic cells
What size can the naked eye see up to?
Up to 100 um
What is used to visualize bacterial cells?
The light microscope
What is the smallest bacterium discovered?
Mycoplasma gallicepticum
What is special about Mycoplasma gallicepticum?
It is the smallest bacterium discovered
What is the largest bacterium discovered?
Thiomargarita namibiensis
What is special about Thiomargarita namibiensis?
It is the largest bacterium discovered
True or false: Mycoplasma gallicepticum have a cell wall
False: they do not have a cell wall
How come most antibiotics don’t work on Mycoplasma gallicepticum?
Most antibiotics target cell wall synthesis, but M. gallicepticum does not have a cell wall
True or false: Mycoplasma gallicepticum is parasidic
True: it can cause disease
Where can Mycoplasma gallicepticum be found when infecting a host?
The genital, respiratory, or bladder track
How large is Thiomargarita namibiensis?
100-300 um, with some as large as 750 um
What was Thiomargarita namibiensis named after?
The continental shelf of Namibia (where they were discovered in ocean sediments)
What does coccus mean?
Spherical
What is a spherical bacteria called?
Coccus
What dos bacillus mean?
Rod-shaped
What is a rod-shaped bacteria called?
Bacillus
What does vibrio mean?
Curved rods
What is a curved bacteria called?
Vibrio
What does spirilla mean?
Spiral
What is a sprial bacteria called?
Spirilla
What does pleiomorphic mean?
Varied shapes
What is a varied-shaped bacteria called?
Pleiomorphic
What can you say about the size of pleiomorphic bacteria?
Tend to be smaller than other bacteria
True or false: bacteria can organize into “multicellular” organisms
True: this organization can be seen in some bacteria
What are hyphae?
Branching filaments of cells
What are mycelia?
Tufts of hyphae
What are trichomes?
Smooth, unbranched chains of cells
What is an example of a bacteria that organizes into mycelia?
Cyanobacteria
What is special about Cyanobacteria?
They form mycelia filaments
What is an example of a bacteria that organizes into trichomes?
Myxobacteria
What is special about Myxobacteria?
They form trichomes
How do cyanobacteria create mycelia filaments?
They adhere through a common cell wall
What do Myxobacteria do (where they live)?
Feed on inorganic substances in the soil
What can be said about the genome of Myxobacteria?
It is relatively large
What shape is E. coli?
Bacillus
What shape is Treponema pallidum?
Spirilla
True or false: bacteria have ribosomes
True
True or false: all bacteria have a cell wall
False: most, but not all, bacteria have a cell wall
Where is cytoplasm found?
Between the nuclear region and the plasma membrane of the cell
What is the appearance of cytoplasm?
Gel like
What is the composition of cytoplasm?
80% water, 20% proteins/lipids/carbs/inorganic ions
What do protein filaments do?
Lead to rod or spherical shaped bacteria
What do ribosomes do?
Produce proteins
What are ribosomes composed of?
rRNA and proteins
What is a plasmid?
DNA separate from the chromosomal genes, and can replicate independently
What is the appearance of a plasmid?
Small, circular double stranded DNA
What occupies a big portion of the bacterial cytoplasm?
The nucleoid region
What is the nucleoid region?
The area with chromosomal DNA and replication machinery
What is the structure of a typical bacterial chromosome?
A singular, circular DNA strand
How can chromosomes vary from the typical structure?
Some bacteria have linear chromosomes, and some have more than one chromosome
What is another name for inclusion bodies?
Elementary bodies
What are inclusion bodies?
Cytoplasmic aggregates of stable substances (usually proteins)
What happens at inclusion bodies?
They are a site for viral replication, and contains capsid proteins
What are some examples of inclusion bodies?
Polyhydroxybutyrate granules, and sulfur globules
What happens at polyhydroxybutyrate granules?
Carbon storage
Which part of the bacteria acts in carbon storage?
Polyhydroxybutyrate granules
What happens at sulfur globules?
Sulfur storage
Which part of the bacteria acts in sulfur storage?
Sulfur globules
What is another name for gas vesicles?
Gas vacuoles
What are gas vesicles composed of?
Proteins
What is the structure of a gas vesicle?
A hollow, cylindrical tube closed by conical end caps
What is the purpose of gas vesicles?
Regulate position in water in response to light or nutrients
Where are gas vesicles usually found?
In planktonic organisms
How come gas vesicles are usually found in planktonic organisms?
Buoyancy control is crucial for these organisms
What are carboxysomes?
Polyhedral protein shells with RuBisCo
What does RuBisCo stand for?
Ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase
What do carboxysomes do?
Function in carbon fixation and the calvin cycle
What are magnetotactic bacteria?
Gram-negative bacteria that build magnetosomes
What is the structure of a magnetosome?
A lipid membrane with magnetite crystals
What is the purpose of magnetosomes?
Direction finding
Where does the magnetosome lead to?
Microaerophilic (low O2) environments for growth
What is the cytoskeleton composed of?
Proteins
What does the cytoskeleton do?
Organize components of the cell
What are some examples of cytoskeletal proteins?
MreB, FtsZ, ParR, and ParM
What is MreB a homolog of?
Actin
What is the structure of MreB, and where is it found?
Helical bands next to the plasma membrane
What type of bacteria universally contain MreB?
Nonspherical bacteria
Which bacteria rarely contain MreB?
Cocci
What does FtsZ stand for?
Filamenting temperature-sensitive mutant Z
What does FtsZ do?
Aids in cell division of the bactera
What does MreB do?
Helps form the shape of nonspherical bacteria
What is the structure of FtsZ, and where is it found?
A ring near the septum (where the bacterium splits)
What is FtsZ a homolog of?
Tubulin
Which protein is a homolog of actin?
MreB
Which protein is a homolog of tubulin?
FtsZ
What do ParR and ParM aid in?
The segregation of plasmids
What is needed for plasmids to move to daughter cells after division?
A ParC DNA site, and the proteins ParR and ParM
What is the ParMRC system?
The combination of the ParC DNA site, and the proteins ParR and ParM
What does ParM do?
Directs plasmid movement
Which other protein is like ParM?
Actin
What does ParR do?
DNA binding adaptor protein (connects ParC to ParM)
How does ParM interact with ParR and ParC?
It finds the plasmid filaments and the ParR/ParC components, and pushes the plasmids to opposite poles
What binds to ParC?
ParR
What does ParR bind to?
ParC
What is ParC?
A DNA binding site for ParR
What do cytoplasmic protein filaments do?
Contribute to the structural integrity of the cell
True or false: all cells have a plasma mebrane
True: it is required to separate external from internal
What is the composition of the plasma membrane?
A phospholipid bilayer with embedded proteins
What are the two types of proteins associated with the plasma membrane?
Peripheral proteins and integral proteins
What do peripheral proteins do, and where are they found?
They do not enter the membrane, and are found attached to the phosphate heads or integral proteins
What do integral proteins do, and where are they found?
They function as transporters, channels, linkers, receptors, energy accumulators, and cell adhesion proteins. They are found embedded within the membrane
What component do some (but not all) bacterial plasma membranes contain?
Hopanoids
What is the structure of hopanoids?
Pentacyclic compounds that mimic hopane
What are hopanoids analogous to?
Cholesterol
What are the functions of hopanoids?
Influence mobility and rigidity of the cell membrane
What is the purpose of hopanoids?
Adjust the cell membrane to adapt to extreme environments
How does CO2 and O2 get through the plasma membrane?
Through simple diffusion
How does H2O get through the plasma membrane?
Through aquaporins
What is osmosis?
The diffusion of water from lower solute concentration to higher solute concentration
What are the consequences of osmosis?
The cell could shrink or swell
How does a bacterium control the consequences of osmosis?
Through the cell wall
What is facilitated diffusion?
Diffusion of a nutrient down its concentration gradient through a specific channel protein
True or false: facilitated diffusion requires energy
False: it does not require energy, since it is moving down the concentration gradient
What is active transport?
Movement of a nutrient up its concentration gradient
True or false: active transport requires energy
True: it requires energy, since it is moving up its concentration gradient
What types of nutrients are usually transported through active transport?
Amino acids, glucose, ions, etc.
What are the two types of active transport?
Primary active transport and secondary active transport
What is primary active transport?
Using ATP as the source of energy in active transport
What is secondary active transport?
Using an electrochemical gradient as the source of energy in active transport
What are the 2 primary active transporters mentioned in this lecture?
P-type ATPases, and ABC transporters
What transporters usually transports ions?
P-type ATPases
What do P-type ATPases usually transport?
Ions (sodium, potassium, calcium, proton, etc.)
What is the purpose of a P-type ATPase?
Maintain membrane potential
What is the net reaction of the sodium potassium pump?
One ATP is used to move 3 Na out, and 2 K in
What does ABC transporter stand for?
ATP binding cassette transporter
What are some examples of ABC transporters?
MDR, CFTR, etc.
What is the structure of an ABC transporter?
4 subunits (2 hydrophobic, 2 hydrophilic)
What do the hydrophobic subunits of the ABC transporter do?
Form the transmembrane channel
What do the hydrophilic subunits of the ABC transporter do?
ATP binding domain on cytosolic portion of the cell
What does the associated subunit of the ABC transporter do?
Binds to the solute with high affinity
How do ABC transporters work?
The binding of the associated subunit causes ATP subunits to hydrolyze ATP, leading to conformation change and movement across the membrane
What is another name for secondary active transport?
Coupled transport, or co-transport
How does secondary active transport work?
One chemical moves down its electrochemical gradient, while another chemical moves up its electrochemical gradient
What is a common ion used in secondary active transport?
Sodium
What are the two types of cotransporters?
Symporters and antiporters
What is a symporter?
The two substances move in the same direction
What is an antiporter?
The two substances move in the opposite direction
What is an example of an antiporter?
The sodium-calcium exchanger (NCX)
What is an example of a symporter?
The sodium-glucose transporter
What does NCX stand for?
Sodium-calcium exchanger
What is the net reaction of NCX?
3 sodium into the cell, 1 calcium out of the cell
How does the plasma membrane capture energy?
It contains components of the ETC to create a proton gradient across the membrane
What does PMF stand for?
Proton motive force
What is PMF used for?
Respiration, photosynthesis, and motion (flagella)
What do the sensory systems of the plasma membrane do?
Change gene expression to respond to the environment
What proteins are involved in the secretion pathway?
The Sec proteins
What does the SecB protein do?
Associates to newly synthesized polypeptides that need to be secreted from the cell
How does the SecB protein alter the polypeptide?
It prevents it from folding, and directs it to SecA
What does SecA do?
It associates with SecB and SecYEG to hydrolyze ATP and push the polypeptide out of the cell
What does SecYEG do?
Form a channel protein that can allow for the polypeptide do be secreted
Which Sec protein associates with the newly synthesized polypeptides?
SecB
Which Sec protein hydrolyzes ATP and pushes the polypeptide out of the cell?
SecA
Which Sec protein forms the channel?
SecYEG