Study Unit 4 Flashcards
What is cell growth?
Growth is a result of both cell division and a change in cell growth
Cell growth phases
- Lag phase
- Exponential phase
- Deceleration phase
- Stationary phase
- Death phase
When does the lag phase take place?
Directly after innoculation
What happens during the lag phase?
The cells adapt to their new environment by reorganizing their molecular constituents. Sometimes additional enzymes are synthesized and other times the enzymes are repressed
What happens during the exponential phase?
The cells multiple rapidly. Balanced growth occurs and the average composition of a single cell remains approx. constant.
Cell metabolism is set up to achieve maximum rates of production.
What happens during the deceleration growth phase?
Growth starts to decelerate due to the depletion of essential nutrients or the accumulation of toxic by-products.
The rapidly changing environment results in unbalanced growth where cell composition and cell size will change.
The stresses induced by nutrient depletion or toxic waste accumulation cause a restructuring of the cell to increase the prospects of cellular survival in a hostile environment.
What happens during the stationary phase?
The net growth rate = 0. Growth rate = death rate.
The cells are still metabolically active and produce secondary metabolites.
Cell lysis occurs and thus cryptic growth.
Cells don’t grow but they produce secondary metabolites.
Primary metabolites
Growth-related metabolites
Secondary metabolites
Nongrowth-related metabolites
What happens to cell number density and cell mass during the exponential phase?
Cell number density (number of cells) and cell mass increase exponentially with time.
What happens to the mass concentration during the stationary phase?
Remains constant
What happens to the number of viable (living) cells during the stationary phase?
Decrease
Cryptic growth
When cell lysis occurs the remaining viable cells use the lysis products as nutrients
What happens during the death phase?
Depletion of nutrients or toxic product accumulation
Is it easy to differentiate between stationary and death phase?
No
Why is the quantification of cell concentration important?
To determine the kinetics and stoichiometry of microbial growth
How can you determine cell concentration?
DIRECT METHODS
INDIRECT METHODS
Why are direct methods of determining cell concentration not always possible?
Suspended solids may be present as it is hard to differentiate between suspended solids and cells
Methods of determining cell number density
Petroff-Hausser method
Direct plate counts
Particle counter
Nephelometer
How is cell number density determined through the Petroff-Hausser method?
A callibrated grid is placed over the culture chamber. The number of cells per square grid is counted under a microscope.
Culture medium should be clear and free of particles that could hide cells or be confused for cells.
Hard to use this method for mould because moulds have a mycelial structure.
How do you ensure statistic reliability of the Petroff-Hausser method?
At least twenty blocks should be counted
How do you distinguish between live and dead cells in the Petroff-Hausser method?
Through the use of stains
How is cell number density determined through the plate counts method?
Culture samples are spread onto Agar surface on a petri dish, and the plates are incubated.
The number of colony forming units (CFUs) are determined from this.
Which cells are the plate count method more suitable for?
More suitable for bacteria and yeasts
Less suitable for moulds