BACTERIA CELL

BACTERIA CELL PARTS AND

FUNCTIONS

Submitted By:
Cylben M.
Nabong
Submitted To:
Ma’am Lorena
S. Sajo
Capsule - Some species of bacteria have a third protective covering, a capsule made up of
polysaccharides (complex carbohydrates). Capsules play a number of roles, but the most
important are to keep the bacterium from drying out and to protect it from phagocytosis
(engulfing) by larger microorganisms. The capsule is a major virulence factor in the major
disease-causing bacteria, such as Escherichia coli and Streptococcus pneumoniae.
Nonencapsulated mutants of these organisms are avirulent, i.e. they don't cause disease.

Cell Envelope - The cell envelope is made up of two to three layers: the interior cytoplasmic
membrane, the cell wall, and -- in some species of bacteria -- an outer capsule.

Cell Wall - Each bacterium is enclosed by a rigid cell wall composed of peptidoglycan, a
protein-sugar (polysaccharide) molecule. The wall gives the cell its shape and surrounds the
cytoplasmic membrane, protecting it from the environment. It also helps to anchor
appendages like the pili and flagella, which originate in the cytoplasm membrane and
protrude through the wall to the outside. The strength of the wall is responsible for keeping
the cell from bursting when there are large differences in osmotic pressure between the
cytoplasm and the environment.

Cell wall composition varies widely amongst bacteria and is one of the most important factors
in bacterial species analysis and differentiation. For example, a relatively thick, meshlike
structure that makes it possible to distinguish two basic types of bacteria. A technique
devised by Danish physician Hans Christian Gram in 1884, uses a staining and washing
technique to differentiate between the two forms. When exposed to a gram stain, gram-
positive bacteria retain the purple color of the stain because the structure of their cell walls
traps the dye. In gram-negative bacteria, the cell wall is thin and releases the dye readily
when washed with an alcohol or acetone solution.

Cytoplasm - The cytoplasm, or protoplasm, of bacterial cells is where the functions for cell
growth, metabolism, and replication are carried out. It is a gel-like matrix composed of water,
enzymes, nutrients, wastes, and gases and contains cell structures such as ribosomes, a
chromosome, and plasmids. The cell envelope encases the cytoplasm and all its
components. Unlike the eukaryotic (true) cells, bacteria do not have a membrane enclosed
nucleus. The chromosome, a single, continuous strand of DNA, is localized, but not
contained, in a region of the cell called the nucleoid. All the other cellular components are
scattered throughout the cytoplasm.

One of those components, plasmids, are small, extrachromosomal genetic structures carried
by many strains of bacteria. Like the chromosome, plasmids are made of a circular piece of
DNA. Unlike the chromosome, they are not involved in reproduction. Only the chromosome
has the genetic instructions for initiating and carrying out cell division, or binary fission, the
primary means of reproduction in bacteria. Plasmids replicate independently of the
chromosome and, while not essential for survival, appear to give bacteria a selective
advantage.

Plasmids are passed on to other bacteria through two means. For most plasmid types,
copies in the cytoplasm are passed on to daughter cells during binary fission. Other types of
plasmids, however, form a tubelike structure at the surface called a pilus that passes copies
of the plasmid to other bacteria during conjugation, a process by which bacteria exchange
genetic information. Plasmids have been shown to be instrumental in the transmission of
special properties, such as antibiotic drug resistance, resistance to heavy metals, and
virulence factors necessary for infection of animal or plant hosts. The ability to insert specific
genes into plasmids have made them extremely useful tools in the fields of molecular biology
and genetics, specifically in the area of genetic engineering.

Cytoplasmic Membrane - A layer of phospholipids and proteins, called the cytoplasmic

membrane, encloses the interior of the bacterium, regulating the flow of materials in and out
of the cell. This is a structural trait bacteria share with all other living cells; a barrier that
allows them to selectively interact with their environment. Membranes are highly organized
and asymmetric having two sides, each side with a different surface and different functions.
Membranes are also dynamic, constantly adapting to different conditions.

Flagella - Flagella (singular, flagellum) are hairlike structures that provide a means of
locomotion for those bacteria that have them. They can be found at either or both ends of a
bacterium or all over its surface. The flagella beat in a propeller-like motion to help the
bacterium move toward nutrients; away from toxic chemicals; or, in the case of the
photosynthetic cyanobacteria; toward the light.

Nucleoid - The nucleoid is a region of cytoplasm where the chromosomal DNA is located. It
is not a membrane bound nucleus, but simply an area of the cytoplasm where the strands of
DNA are found. Most bacteria have a single, circular chromosome that is responsible for
replication, although a few species do have two or more. Smaller circular auxiliary DNA
strands, called plasmids, are also found in the cytoplasm.

Pili - Many species of bacteria have pili (singular, pilus), small hairlike projections emerging
from the outside cell surface. These outgrowths assist the bacteria in attaching to other cells
and surfaces, such as teeth, intestines, and rocks. Without pili, many disease-causing
bacteria lose their ability to infect because they're unable to attach to host tissue. Specialized
pili are used for conjugation, during which two bacteria exchange fragments of plasmid DNA.

Ribosomes - Ribosomes are microscopic "factories" found in all cells, including bacteria.
They translate the genetic code from the molecular language of nucleic acid to that of amino
acids—the building blocks of proteins. Proteins are the molecules that perform all the
functions of cells and living organisms. Bacterial ribosomes are similar to those of
eukaryotes, but are smaller and have a slightly different composition and molecular structure.
Bacterial ribosomes are never bound to other organelles as they sometimes are (bound to
the endoplasmic reticulum) in eukaryotes, but are free-standing structures distributed
throughout the cytoplasm. There are sufficient differences between bacterial ribosomes and
eukaryotic ribosomes that some antibiotics will inhibit the functioning of bacterial ribosomes,
but not a eukaryote's, thus killing bacteria but not the eukaryotic organisms they are
infecting.