Prokaryotes And Viruses Flashcards

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1
Q

What does Woese’s tree of life show ?

A

Classification of living organisms based on appearance and behaviour

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2
Q

What 4 structures do all cells have in common ?

A
  • cell membrane
  • cytoplasm
  • ribosomes
  • cell wall
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3
Q

What is the function of the cell membrane ?

A

A barrier that separates the inside of the cell from the outside environment

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4
Q

What is the function of the cytoplasm ?

A

Aqueous mixture of macromolecules, ions and ribosomes

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5
Q

What is the function of ribosomes?

A

Protein synthesizing structures

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6
Q

What is the function of the cell wall ?

A

Provides structural strength and prevents osmotic lysis

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7
Q

What are the 3 domains of life?

A
  • bacteria
  • archaea
  • eukaryotes
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8
Q

What is archaea ?

A

Anaerobes living in low oxygen

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9
Q

What are the structures found in prokaryotes ?

A
  • no membrane enclosed organelles
  • cell membrane
  • ribosomes
  • plasmids
  • nucleoid
  • cell wall
  • some have flagella
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10
Q

What is an organelle ?

A

A part of a cell that does a specific job

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11
Q

What is a plasmid ?

A

A small, circular, double stranded DNA molecule

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12
Q

What is morphology ?

A

It enables micro - organisms to cope with their environment and is a tool for gaining a competitive advantage

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13
Q

List some other prokaryotic cell structures ?

A
  • pilus/superciliary structures
  • flagella
  • fimbriae
  • capsule
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14
Q

What is the cell envelope ?

A

It is made up of 2 to 3 layers :
- interior cell membrane
- cell wall
- capsule (in some bacteria)

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15
Q

What is pilus ?

A

Hairlike projections on the outside of the cell which attach bacteria to substrates and act as sex organs
They originate in the cell membrane and protrude out the cell wall

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16
Q

What is flagella ?

A

Long hairlike structures that provide means of locomotion (swimming)
They originate in the cell membrane and protrude through the cell wall

17
Q

What is fimbriae ?

A

Protein tubes from the cell membrane which stick bacteria to surfaces

18
Q

What is a capsule ?

A

A polysaccharide which keeps bacteria from drying out and protects it from phagocytosis by other microorganisms

19
Q

Describe the structure and function of the cell membrane

A

It is made up of a phospholipid bilayer and proteins
It is selectively permeable so nutrients can move in and waste can move out

20
Q

Describe the structure and function of the cell wall

A

It is made up of peptidoglycan
It gives the cell its shape and protects it from the environment
It helps to anchor appendages
It prevents osmotic lysis

21
Q

What is tensile strength ?

A

Resistance to lengthwise stress

22
Q

What is peptidoglycan ?

A

It is an alternating copolymer of glucosamine and n-acetylmuramic acid crosslinked with short peptide chains which gives a 3D mesh and high tensile strength

23
Q

How can you distinguish between gram positive and gram negative bacteria ?

A

Using peptidoglycan staining -
• in gram positive bacteria the cell wall has a thick layer of peptidoglycan so the bacteria stain purple
• in gram negative bacteria the cell wall has a thin layer of peptidoglycan and an outer cell membrane with lipopolysaccharides so the bacteria stain pink

24
Q

What is a virus ?

A

An infectious nucleic acid surrounded by a protective protein coating

25
Q

What is a virion ?

A

A capsid encapsulated virus with DNA or RNA molecules

26
Q

What is the size range of eukaryotes ?

A

2 - 200 micrometers

27
Q

What is the size range of prokaryotes ?

A

1 - 2 micrometers

28
Q

What is the size range for viruses ?

A

5 - 300 nm

29
Q

What is a nucleocapsid ?

A

The nucleic acid and capsid of a virus

30
Q

What are the 4 groups of viral shapes ?

A
  • filamentous
  • isometric (icosahedral)
  • enveloped
  • head and tail (complex)
31
Q

What is the structure of a virion ?

A

Contains a nucleic acid surrounded by a capsid. The nucleic acid and capsid together are called a nucleocapsid.
Some may have an envelope which comes from the host.

32
Q

Give an example of a filamentous virus

A

TMV - tobacco mosaic virus
It is rod shaped with a hollow core and shows helical symmetry

33
Q

Give an example of a complex virus

A

Bacteriophage