BIO 205

Chapter 4
The Domain Bacteria Contains Some of the Best Studied Prokaryotes

The majority of the 18 phyla of Bacteria play a positive role in

nature

•Proteobacteria contain the largest and most diverse group of

species, including E. coli and many human pathogens

•Firmucutes consist of many gram-positive species, such as

Bacillus, Clostridium, Staphylococcus, and Streptococcus

•Actinobacteria include Streptomyces, the genus that produces the

antibiotic streptomycin

•Cyanobacteria carry out photosynthesis using chlorophyll,

responsible for the appearance of oxygen in Earth’s early
atmosphere

•Chlamydiae are extremely small, mostly pathogenic bacteria

The Domain Archaea Contains
Many Extremophiles

Euryarchaeota contain:

• Methanogens (live in
anoxic environments)

• Extreme halophiles (salt

lovers)

• Thermoacidophiles (grow at
high temperature with low
pH

Crenarchaeota tend to grow in

hot acidic environments such
as hot springs and volcanic
vents
The Shapes and Arrangements of Prokaryotic Cells

Three Main Shapes:

Rod

Sphere

Spiral
The Shapes and Arrangements of Prokaryotic Cells
Streptococcus Chain
 A spherical bacterial cell is a coccus

Many cocci and some bacilli appear in groups or chains

Spiral shaped bacteria can appear as vibrios (comma-
shaped), spirilla (helical), or spirochete
Prokaryotic Cell
Structure
 Pili
Pili Are Protein Fibers Extending from the Surface
of Many Prokaryotes

Pili help:
• Attach cells to surfaces

• Form biofilms and

microcolonies.
Some bacterial
species have
conjugation pili,
used to transfer
genetic material
between cells
 Flagella
Prokaryotic Flagella Are Long Appendages
Extending from the Cell Surface

Flagella can be used for cell motility

Prokaryotic
flagella contain a
helical filament,
a hook, and a
basal body
 Flagella Continued
Prokaryotic Flagella Are Long Appendages Extending from
the Cell Surface

Bacteria exhibit chemotaxis, moving up the concentration

gradient of a chemical attractant

Some prokaryotes move without flagella by gliding across a

solid surface
The Glycocalyx Is an Outer Layer Glycocalyx
External to the Cell Wall

The glycocalyx is an adhering

layer of polysaccharides (and
sometimes small proteins)

A thick glycocalyx covalently

bound to the cell is a capsule

A thin diffuse layer of

polysaccharides is a slime layer

It protects cells from the

environment, and allows them
to attach to surfaces
 Capsule
Capsule in Acinetobacter species by negative staining
 Cell Envelope
The cell envelope is
composed of two
parts:

•Cell Wall

•Cell Membrane

The cell wall protects

the cell from injury, and
maintains cell shape
and water balance
 Prokaryotic Cell Wall
Cell walls in prokaryotes contain peptidoglycan

Gram-positive bacteria have thick peptidoglycan cell

walls containing teichoic acid

Gram-negative bacteria have a two-dimensional

peptidoglycan layer and no teichoic acid

The gram-negative cell wall has an outer membrane,

separated from the cell membrane by the periplasmic
space

The outer membrane contains proteins called porins

that selectively allow small molecules into the
periplasmic space
 Archaeal Cell Wall

The Archaeal Cell Wall Also Provides Mechanical Strength

No archaea have peptidoglycan in the cell wall, but some

have pseudopeptidoglycan

Others have polysaccharides, proteins, or both

The S-layer is the most common archaeal cell wall,

consisting of protein or glycoprotein in a crystal lattice
The Cell MembraneProkaryotic
RepresentsCell Membrane
the Interface between the
Cell Environment and the Cell Cytoplasm

•The cell membrane is a fluid layer of phospholipid and

protein (the fluid mosaic model)

•The phospholipid molecules are arranged in a bilayer

•Hydrophobic fatty acid chains in the phospholipids form a

permeability barrier
 Prokaryotic Cell Membrane
The Cell Membrane Represents the Interface between the
Cell Environment and the Cell Cytoplasm

Antimicrobial substances may disrupt or dissolve the

bilayer

Membrane proteins perform or aid in many functions,

such as:
•cell wall synthesis
•energy metabolism
•DNA replication
•sensation of stimuli
•molecule transport
Facilitated Diffusion
 Archaeal Cell Membranes

The Archaeal Cell Membrane Differs from Bacterial and

Eukaryotic Membranes

•Hydrophobic lipid tails are attached to glycerol

differently in archaea

•Fatty acids are usually absent

•Adjacent lipid tails are bound together forming a lipid

monolayer, instead of a bilayer
The Cell Cytoplasm and Internal Structures
 Nucleoid
The nucleoid represents a subcompartment containing the
chromosome

The nucleoid is a central subcompartment in the cytoplasm

where DNA aggregates
•The chromosome is usually a closed loop of
DNA and protein

•The DNA contains the genes (hereditary

information)

•The complete set of genes is called the

genome

•Most cells have only one copy of each gene

(are haploid), so cannot undergo mitosis like
eukaryotes
Plasmids Are Found in Many Prokaryotic Cells

•Plasmids are molecules of DNA smaller than

the chromosome

•Each plasmid is a closed loop, containing 5-10

genes

•Plasmids can be transferred between cells and

can be used as vectors in genetic engineering

•R plasmids carry genes for resistance to

antibiotics
 Other Subcompartments Exist in the Prokaryotic Cytoplasm

•There are hundreds of thousands of ribosomes, used for protein

synthesis

•Inclusion bodies store nutrients or building blocks for cellular

structures

•Some aquatic bacteria use gas vesicles to float on the water’s

surface

•Magnetosomes contain crystals of magnetite or greigite, allowing

cells to respond to magnetic fields
The Prokaryotic Cell
End of Chapter 4