PROKARYOTIC CELLS

Single-celled organisms without a well defined nucleus.

The original inhabitants of this planet.
The toughest of the tough among living things.
Simple in structural organization and most primitive types.
Lack structural diversity,exibit physiological diversity.
Show diversity in habitat Adaptations.

Sole members of kingdom MONERA.

CHARACTERISTICS OF PROKARYOKARYOTES

Absence of distinct nucleus and nuclear membrane

Non cellulosic cell wall
Cellular body organization
Autotrophic and heterotrophic mode of nutrition
Absence of membrane limited structures
Asexual mode of reproduction
Promotion of genetic recombination by
conjugation,transformation and transduction
Variations by mutations
TYPES OF PROKARYOTIC
CELLS

1. Bacterial cell
2. Pleuropneumonia like organism (PPLO)
3. Blue green algae
4. Viruses
 BACTERIAL CELL
Microscopic unicellular prokaryotes having achlorophyllous body
DNA contents range from 0.6 million to 5 million bp
Reproduce asexually
Lead parasitic or saprophytic existence
1) SIZE
1.25 in diameter
Smallest bacterium-Dialister pneumosintes ( length 0.15 to 0.3 )
Largest bacterium Spirillum volutans (length 13 to 15 )
2) SHAPE
Four types spheroidal (coccus),rod shaped (bacillus), spiral
(spirillum),comma shaped (vibrio )
a) Coccus : May be of following types:
i. Micrococcus single
ii. Diplococcus groups of two (eg:Diplococcus,Gonococcus )
iii. Streptococcus long chains (eg:Streptococcus phyesens )
iv. Staphylococci irregular clumps (eg:Staphylococcus aureus )
b) Bacillus - Occur as single or long chains
Eg : Mycobacterium tuberculosis
Corynebacterium diphtheriae
Salmonella typhosa
c) Spirillum less coiled or helical shaped
Eg : Rhodospirillum
d) Vibrium found as single or groups
Eg : Vibriocholerae

3) STRUCTURES
a) Outer coverings
Cell envelope = glycocalyx + cellwall + plasma membrane

Loose sheath slime layer

Glycocalyx
Thick and tough - capsule
 Cell wall dense layer surrounding cell membrane
Main function mechanically strong bounding layers
Rigidity and strength heteropolymers peptidoglycans
Peptidoglycans alternating units of NAM and NAG with -1,4-
linkages
Plasma membrane boundry layer of protoplast ( 6 to 8 nm thick )
Composed of bilayer sheet of phospholipids
S-layers present external to cellwall
Composed of single homogenous polypeptides + carbohydrates
b) Cytoplasm
Concentrated solution containing variety of enzymes,co-enzymes
and matabolites
Sequestered within the cell membrane
Main functions intermediary metabolism, providing an equable
chemical environment for cellular activities
c) Cytoplasmic structures
i. Nuclear body
Also known as nucleoid
It is of primitive type
Occupies 10 20 % of the cell volume
Structure consisting of loops of supercoiled DNA,10%
RNA,10%protein
In some, plasmids present
ii. Ribosomes
Dense particles 20 nm diameter
Made of two subunits of sedimentation constants
Prokaryotic RNA 70S

30S 50S

16S 5S 23S
iii. Inclusion bodies
Also called storage granules
Make up 50% of dry weight
Shively classified into two major groups:
Membrane enclosed inclusion bodies
Inclusion bodies lacking a membrane
iv. Chromatophores
Pigment bearing membraneous structures
Present in photosynthetic bacteria
Occur in all Rhodospirillaceae, Chromatiaceae, Cyanophyceae
v. Mesosomes
Earlier called peripheral body or chondron
Defined as vesicular, lamellar or tubular packets of membrane enclosed
by the invaginations of plasmamembrane
Seen in chemoautotrophs (Nitrosomonas) and photosynthetic
(Rhodopseudomonas)
Involved in septum formation
vi. Chlorosomes
Demonstrated by Cruden and Stanier in
photosynthetic bacteria of Chlorobiaceae
Non-membraneous
Contain photosynthetic pigments
vii. Carboxysomes
Demonstrated in Chemolithotrophic bacteria and
Cyanobacteria
Involved in regulation of Carbon metabolism
vii. Magnetosomes
Term given by Balkwill et.al in the Aquaspirillum
magnetotacticum
Cells of these bacteria contain iron in the form of
magnetite (Fe3O4)
d) Spores
Bacillus and Clostridiun species produce structures called
spores
Have resistance to environmental stresses-heat,
desiccation, radiation
Means of prolonged life of cell under unfavourable growth
conditions
Vegetative cell Single endospore germination Vegetative cell
e) Flagella
Long, thin helical appendages in motile bacteria
Made of protein flagellin
Three parts basal body, filament, hook
Function locomotion
Based on flagellation patterns, there are:
Monotrichous
Lophotricus
Amphitricus
Peritricus
f) Pili, Fimbriae and Spinae
Term Pili introduced by Brinton
Pili protein subunits - pilin
Pili bridge between conjugating cells
Term Fimbriae introduced by Duguid et.al.
Small Bristle like fibres sprouting out of the cell
Involved in adhesion
Spinae are tubular, pericellular non prosthecate rigid
appendages
Made of single protein moiety spinin
Present in some Gram positive bacteria
Help to adjust cells to environmental conditions salinity,
pH, temperature, etc.
 ARCHAEBACTERIA

Primitive form of bacteria

Live in most harsh habitats:
Salty areas (halophiles)
Hot springs (thermoacidophiles)
Marshy areas (mathanogens)
Have different cell wall structure
Methanogens gut of ruminants production of biogas
 EUBACTERIA
Known as "true bacteria"
Characterised by presence of rigid cell wall
Cyanobacteria photosynthetic autotrophs
Chemosynthetic autotrophs nutrient recycling
Heterotrophic bacteria decomposers
Production of curd from milk, antibiotics, N2 fixation
 PLEUROPNEUMONIA LIKE ORGANISM (PPLO)

Bacteria like organisms

Simple structural organization
Absence of cellwall,nucleus and mesosomes
Flexible plasma membrane (75 thickness)
Cytoplasm rich in enzymes protein synthesis and ATP metabolism
Granules resembling ribosomes present
RNA combined with protein
tRNA and mRNA present
Eg: Mycoplasma laidlawii
Mycoplasma gallisepticum
 BLUE GREEN ALGAE (BGA)
Resembles bacteria
Unicellular or multicellular forming colonies
General structural features :
1) Gelatinous sheath
2) Cell wall and plasma membrane
Cellwall = lipoproteins + lipopolysaccharides + mucoproteins
BGA, purple and green bacteria have photosynthetic pigments
Pigments present in thylakoids site of photosynthesis
3) Cytoplasm
Lacks membrane bound structures
Chromosome is naked
Ribosomes (70S) many freely distributed in cytoplasm
Phycocyanin (blue) and phycoerythrin (red) present
 Phycobilin = phycocyanin + phycoerythrin
Phycobilin present in phycobilisomes or cyanosomes
Plastids, flagella and cilia absent
Movement by gliding or rotatory motion
 VIRUSES

Acellular entities
Occur as obligate intracellular parasites
Smaller than bacteria
General structural features :
1) Structure
Construct around a nucleocapsid core
a) Capsid
Capsid protein coat
Four general morphological types :
A. Icosahedral Adenovirus
B. Helical Tubulovirus
C. Envelope Herpes virus
D. Complex Pox virus
b) Nucleic acid core
Nucleic acid - DNA or RNA , ss or ds
Most DNA viruses ds DNA genome
RNA viruses ss RNA (+ or - )
2) Classification of virus : Based on host
A. Bacteriophages
B. Plant viruses
C. Animal viruses
D. Cyanophages