The Bacterial Cell

Faculty: Dr. Alvin Fox

 Key Words
Prokaryotic Outer membrane
Eubacteria (Bacteria) Periplasmic space
Archaebacteria (Archaea) Oxidative phosphorylation
Eukaryotic Spheroplast/protoplast
Plasmid Flagella
Chromosome Chemotaxis
Ribosome Axial filament
Peptidoglycan (murein, mucopeptide) Periplasmic binding protein
Gram stain Permeases
Gram negative Storage Granules
Gram positive Pili (fimbriae)
Cell envelope Capsule (slime layer, glycocalyx)
Cell membrane Endospore (spore)
Cell wall
 EUKARYOTES

PROKARYOTES

BACTERIA ARCHAEA
Prokaryotes (Bacteria)
Eubacter "True" bacteria
human pathogens
clinical or environmental
one kingdom
Archaea
Environmental organisms
second kingdom
 Eukaryotes
Other cell-based life e.g.
plants
animals
fungi
Prokaryotic Cell (versus Eukaryotic
Cell)

Not compartmentalized
Cell membranes lack sterols (e.g. cholesterol)
Single circular chromosome
Ribosomal are 70S
- subunits
30S (16S rRNA)
50S (5S & 23S rRNA)
 Bacteria versus
Archaebacteria
Eubacteria
peptidoglycan (murein)
muramic acid

Archaebacteria
pseudomurein
no muramic acid
 Bacteria versus
Archaebacteria

16S rRNA
sequence very different
 Eukaryotic cell Prokaryotic cell
(e.g. animal)
Flagellum
Rough endoplasmic Cell membrane Nucleoid Cell wall
reticulum
Nucleus

Gram +

Pili
Gram -
Granule
Capsule
Cytoplasm Cell (inner) membrane Outer membrane
Mitochondria Ribosomes Cell wall
 Bacteria

Plasmids
Extra-chromosomal DNA
multiple copy number
coding pathogenesis and antibiotic
resistance factors
bacterial replication
The Cell Envelope

Gram Positive Gram Negative

 Oxidative phosphorylation occurs at cell membrane
(since there are no mitochondria).

Cell Wall

Cytoplasm Cell membrane

The cell wall is outside of cell membrane

rigid, protecting cell from osmotic lysis.
 GRAM POSITIVE
Lipoteichoic acid Peptidoglycan-teichoic acid

Cytoplasmic membrane

Cytoplasm

GRAM NEGATIVE Porin

Lipopolysaccharide
Periplasmic space

Outer Membrane Braun lipoprotein

Inner (cytoplasmic) membrane

Cytoplasm
 Outer Membrane
Gram negative bacteria
major permeability barrier
space between inner and outer membrane
periplasmic space
store degradative enzymes
Gram positive bacteria
no periplasmic space
 GRAM NEGATIVE
CELL ENVELOPE
Outer Membrane
(Major permeability barrier) Lipopolysaccharide
Porin

Braun lipoprotein

Periplasmic space Degradative enzyme

Periplasmic binding protein

Inner (cytoplasmic) membrane Permease

Cytoplasm
 GRAM POSITIVE CELL
ENVELOPE
Degradative enzyme

Lipoteichoic acid Peptidoglycan-teichoic acid

Cytoplasmic membrane

Cytoplasm
 FLAGELLA
Some bacteria are motile
Locomotory organelles- flagella
Taste environment
Respond to food/poison
chemotaxis
 Flagella
embedded in cell membrane
project as strand
Flagellin (protein) subunits
move cell by propeller like action
 Axial filaments

spirochetes
similar function to flagella
run lengthwise along cell
snake-like movement
 Making Wall-less forms
Result from action of:
enzymes lytic for cell wall
antibiotics inhibiting peptidoglycan biosynthesis

Usually non-viable

Wall-less bacteria that dont replicate:

spheroplasts (with outer membrane)
protoplasts (no outer membrane).

Wall-less bacteria that replicate

L forms
Naturally Wall-less Genus
Mycloplasma
 Pili (fimbriae)
hair-like projections of the cell
sexual conjugation
adhesion to host epithelium
Capsules and slime layers
outside cell envelope
well defined: capsule
not defined: slime layer or glycocalyx
usually polysaccharide
often lost on in vitro culture
protective in vivo
 Endospores (spores)
Dormant cell
Produced when starved
Resistant to adverse conditions
- high temperatures
- organic solvents
contain calcium dipicolinate
Bacillus and Clostridium