NT 10602

Microbial Cell Structures and Functions

Shapes
Bacillus anthracis
Bacillus

Coccus Staphylococcus aureus

Coccobacillus
Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Fusiform bacillus
Spirillum
Fusiform bacilli
Spirochete

Vibrio
Spirillum volutans

Borrelia burgdorferi
Vibrio cholerae

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Structural view of bacteria (1)
Microscopicprokaryotes (no nucleus nor membrane-
bound organelles)
Contain ribosomes
Enfoldingof the cell membrane carry on
photosynthesis & respiration (some)
Surroundedby protective cell wall containing
peptidoglycan (protein-carbohydrate)
Many are surrounded by a sticky, protective coating
of sugars called the capsule or glycocalyx

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Structural view of bacteria (2)
One circular chromosome and some small DNA
called plasmids
May have short, hairlike projections called pili on
cell wall to attach to host or another bacteria when
transferring genetic material
Some can move by flagella, gliding over slime they
secrete ( e.g. Myxobacteria)
Some
can form protective endospores around the
DNA when conditions become unfavorable

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Detail Structure

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 Structure and function
STRUCTURE FUNCTION
Cell Wall protects the cell and gives shape (5-20 atm resistant)
protects the cell against some antibiotics (only present in
Outer Membrane
Gram negative cells)
regulates movement of materials into and out of the cell;
Cell Membrane
enzymes of respiration
Cytoplasm contains DNA, ribosomes, and organic compounds
carries genetic information inherited from past
Chromosome
generations
contains some genes obtain through genetic
Plasmid
recombination
Capsule, and slime protects the cell (immune attack) and assist in attaching
layer the cell to other surfaces
protects the cell against harsh environmental conditions,
Endospore
(heat or drought)

Pilus (Pili) attaching to other surfaces (for genetic recombination)

Flagellum moves the cell

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 Differences
Eukaryote Prokaryote
Major groups Algae, fungi, protozoa, plant, bacteria
animal
Size >5 mm 0.5-3 mm
Nuclear structures
Nucleus Classic membrane No nuclear membrane
Chromosome Diploid genome; multiple DNA Haploid, single DNA
Cytoplamic structures
Mitochondria Present Absent
Golgi bodies Present Absent
Endoplasmic Reticulum Present Absent
Ribosome 80S(60S+40S) 70S(50S+30S)
Cytoplamic membrane Contains sterols No sterols
Cell wall Absent or with chitin, cellulose + lipid, peptidoglycans
Reproduction Sexual and asexual Fission
Movement Complex flagellum (9+2) Simple flagellum
Respiration Via mitochondria On cytoplamic membrane

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 Cell envelope: Cytoplamic membrane+ cell wall+
capsules + loss slime etc.

Gram-positive cells:
Cytoplamic membrane+
thick peptidoglycan layer +
capsules
Gram-negative cells:
Cytoplamic inner
membrane+ thin
peptidoglycan layer +
periplasmic space + outer high magnification AFM
membrane + + capsules image of the surface of
/loss slime a single Pseudomonas
putida

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 The main component of the bacterial cell wall is peptidoglycan, a hydrated,
semi-rigid polymer of two sugar derivatives: N-Acteylglucosamine (G) and
N-Acetylmuramic acid (M). Bound to the sugar M are amino acids: Alanine -
- Glutamic acid -- Meso-diaminopimelic acid (DAP) (Gm-) or Lysine (Gm+) --
Alanine.

Glucosamine?

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 Teichoic acid
Are found exclusively in gram positive organisms. Are formed as
polymers of glycerol or ribitol through phosphodiester linkages.

http://www.cvm.uiuc.edu/courses/vp331/Structures_in_pathogenesi1.html
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A very complex net

http://www.arches.uga.edu/~kristenc/cellwall.html
Look into the detail

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Gram positive
Gm+ organisms have cell walls that may contain as much as 90%
peptidoglycan, with membrane associated proteins and Teichoic
acids comprising the remaining components.

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 Gram negative
typically composed of only about 10% peptidoglycan and possess an outer
membrane that houses the membrane associated proteins and LPS
(lipopolysaccharide). The peptidoglycan lies in-between the periplasm.

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The acid-fast cell wall of Mycobacterium contains peptidoglycan,
and a large amount of glycolipids such as mycolic acid,
arabinogalactan-lipid complex, and lipoarabinomannan.
 Lipopolysaccharides is an amphiphile composed of three regions:
O-polysaccharide (the O- or somatic-antigen), the core
polysaccharide and lipid A. Lipid A is anchored in the outer
membrane. LPS is also known as endotoxin.

saccharide

lipid
Large-scale molecular dynamic simulation of
a lipopolysaccharide membrane solvated in a
4.2 nm water box.
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 Endotoxins are thermostable, lipopolysaccharide components
from the cell walls of viable or nonviable gram-negative
microorganisms.
Measured endotoxin will include endotoxin that was derived from:
1) Any living cells that are present, 2) Cell wall debris from dead or
dying cells, and 3) Outer membrane fragments that are released
during cell growth.
An endotoxin unit, EU, is equivalent to approximately 200 pico-
grams of endotoxin.
The LAL (Limulus Amebocyte Lysate) test for endotoxins can be
sensitive down to 0.03 EU/ml

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 Not confuse with exotoxin
Tetanus toxin:

(a) The x-ray crystal structure for the tetanus toxin showing
how the amino acid chain is folded and (b) its calculated
molecular surface showing sites 1 and 2, predicted binding
sites for ligands.
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Cytoplasmic membrane

5-10 nm unit membrane

Absence of sterols, except mycoplasma
Semifluid state, form mesosomes
Selective permeability and transport
Electron transport /oxidative ATP generation
Bioxynthesis

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Phospholipids
Major components of the cell
membrane
Consists of two fatty acids and the
third hydroxyl group of glycerol is
joined to a phosphate group
being amphipathic, having both a
hydrophobic (hydrocarbons tails)
and a hydrophilic region
(phosphate head)
In water, they self-assemble into
aggregates so that the phosphate
heads make contact with the water
and the hydrophobic hydrocarbon
tails are restricted to water-free
areas (micelle or phospholipid
bilayer)

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How to get across the polar barrel

Bacterial
membrane
proteins -
OmpA (left)
and GlpF
(right).
ATP-dependent secretion systems

There are five major secretion systems.

Type I and type III secrete proteins across both the inner membrane and the cell
envelope (outer membrane) in one step; secreted proteins do not make an
intermediate stop in the periplasm. Type I systems are composed of far fewer
components than type III systems.

Type II and type III systems share a similar cell envelope component.

The type III secretion system of Gram-negative bacterial pathogens injects

virulence factors into host cells. The needle complex is drawn on the basis of its
appearance in electron-microscopy images with several ring structures that span
the inner and outer membranes. Very similar to flagella system

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4804464/pdf/nihms715968.pdf
Bacterial chromosome
No nuclear membrane
Small polyamines and
magnesium, histone-like
Lack of mitotic apparatus;
fission
~3 x 109 bp (1mm long),
supercoiled state, single haploid
Circular (most bacteria) or
linear (Streptomyes sp.)
Associated with mesosome
DNA spread of E. coli

plasmid BC Yang
 Spores

Ca+2

Calcium bound to dipicolinic acid

Keratin-like protein coat

may stay inactive several years, then re-activate

when conditions favorable

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1. the bacterium senses that its home or habitat is turning bad
2. it makes a copy of its chromosome
3. the rubbery cell membrane that surrounds the bacterial cell fluid
begins pocketing inward around this chromosome copy.
4. the membrane of the mother cell surrounds and swallows up the
daughter cell.
5. between these two membranes a thick wall forms made out of
stuff called peptidoglycan.
6. a tough outer coating made up of a bunch of proteins forms
around all this, closing off the entire daughter cell.
 Capsule
Bacterial capsules outlined by India
ink viewed by light microscopy.
A discrete layer of polysaccharide
surrounding the cells.
Sometimes bacterial cells are
embedded more randomly in a
polysaccharide matrix called a slime
layer or biofilm.
Polysaccharide films that may
inevitably be present on the surfaces
of bacterial cells, but which cannot be
detected visually, are called glycocalyx.
Capsule Stain of B. anthracis:
Capsule appears pink,
bacterial cells purple

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Capsule
Composed of poly-(D-glutamic acid), single antigenic
type + proteins
Nontoxic, serves as an impedin in establishment of
infection
Production enhanced in the presence of Na+-
bicarbonate
may be plasmid-borne

prevents desiccation of the bacteria

prevent phagocytosis by larger microorganisms and the
white blood cells of invaded host organisms
help the bacteria adhere to the host substrate
assist in warding off attacks by phages

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 Pili (Fimbriae)
singular pillus
helical filaments, with ~1000 copies of
the major pilin, plus one or a few
copies of ~5 minor pilins. The minor
proteins provide binding specificity,
membrane anchoring, and adapter
functions.
Mu, Egelman, Bullitt, 2002. J. Bact.
284(17):4868-4874
Bullitt, & Makowski, 1995. Nature
373(6510):164-167

a) Adhesion
b) In pathogenesis
c) In environment
d) Sex pili

Sex pili also called as type IV secretion system

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Flagella
singular flagellum

A tiny motor machine

Share similarity with type III secretion system
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 Swing and tumble

Each flagellum is a rigid structure

The basal body causes rotation of the structure -- like a
propeller. The rate is about 12000 rpm
Energy is derived from a proton gradient. Power has been
calculate to be about 10-15 amperes of current.
Average velocities are in the range of 20 - 80 M/s. About 1/2
foot per hour. A cheetah is 4 feet long and moves about 70
mph. 25 body lengths/second. A microbe that is 2 M long,
moves 10 to 40 body lengths per second. (some bacteria are as
mobile as higher animals)
Movement is a bias random walk during chemotaxis

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