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Title: Microbiology- Staining, Bacterial Cells, Bacteria Structures
Description: Topics: Staining, shapes of bacteria, Gram positive vs negative Cell walls, cell membranes, intracellular structures, flagella
Description: Topics: Staining, shapes of bacteria, Gram positive vs negative Cell walls, cell membranes, intracellular structures, flagella
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Bacterial Cell Membranes
Phospholipid Structure Overview
o Head = glycerol with phosphate group
Polar, hydrophilic
o Tail = fatty acids
Nonpolar, hydrophobic
o Forms an asymmetrical bilayer
Fluid mosaic model
Selectively permeable
Receptors respond to environment
o Contains proteins
Peripheral, integral, and transmembrane
Bacteria and Cell Membranes
o Similar in structure to eukaryotic membranes
o 3 main functions
Respiration
Photosynthesis
Lipid and cell wall synthesis
Cell Membranes and Transportation
o Active transport = uses energy; moves molecules against gradient
Proton motive force
Flagellar motility
Antibiotic pumps
Group Transport
Alter molecules so they won’t leak out
o Virulence
Secretes toxins
Porins and porin loss in antibiotic resistant bacteria
Other Layers
o Glycocalyx = general term for secretions
Network of polysaccharides
Gel-like, sticky
o Slime Layer = unorganized layer of carbs
Easily removed
o Capsule = gel layer of polysaccharides constantly produced by bacteria
Attached; not easily removed
Negative stains
Source of virulence
Hides surface antigens -> sugars are poorly detected by WBCs
Flagella
o Eukaryotes
Moves side to side
Microtubules
o Prokaryotes
Moves like propeller
Motor proteins
o Staining
Mordant on flagella
Carbolfuchsin (pink) simple stain OR fluorescent antibodies
Structure of Flagella (Bacteria)
o Filament
Hollow, rigid, cylindrical
Composed of flagellin
Some have sheaths
o Hook
Connects filament -> cell
o Basal Body
Anchors flagella -> cell wall
rings power the motor
Movement of Flagella (Bacteria)
o Runs
Counterclockwise rotation
Forward motion
o Tumbles
Clockwise rotation
Disrupts run
Chemotaxis
o Taxis = movement toward or away from stimulus
Lower frequency of tumbles
Directed by chemoreceptors on cell surface
o Biased Random Walk
Spirochetes
o Mobile via axial filaments
Endoflagella
Anchored at one end of cell
The whole cell moves when it rotates, causing a corkscrew motion
Bacterial Motility
Sliminess -> Inhibits phagocytosis by macrophages
Fimbriae and Pili
o Similar in structure to flagella, but shorter and thinner
o Fimbriae
Helps with attachment
No motion
o Pili
Transfer of DNA from cell to cell
Twitching and gliding motion
Bacterial Cell Walls
Prokaryotes and Cell Walls
o Outside plasma membrane
o Provides shape and protects cell from osmotic breakdown
o Exceptions: mycoplasma and certain archaea
Bacteria and Cell Walls
o Peptidoglycan makes the wall rigid
Only bacteria have peptidoglycan
o Peptidoglycan structure
Glycan chains of disaccharides held together by tetrapeptide chains
Two sugars: NAG and NAM
Layers of spirals
Covalent bonds with peptide chains
o Peptidoglycan Crosslinks
Contains D-isomers of amino acids and diaminopimelic acid (DAP)
Direct connection or peptide interbridges
site of action of Penicillin!
attacks peptidoglycan crosslinks to weaken the cell wall
kills bacteria
Acid-Fast Bacteria
o Atypical cell walls
Structure resembles Gram-positive bacteria but does not stain consistently
Waxy lipid outer layer
Contains mycolic acids
Long chain of fatty acids covalently bonded to peptidoglycan
Hydrophobic
o Actinomycetes
Mycobacteria, diphtheriae, nocardia
o Difficult to kill
Repels antibiotics, enzymes, and oxidizing chemicals
Acid-Fast Stain
o Step 1: Primary Dye
Carbofuchsin (pink)
Uses heat to stain (steam bath)
No mordant
Acid Fast Bacteria
Non-Acid-Fast Bacteria
o Step 2: Decolorizer
Acid alcohol
Removes stain from non-acid-fast bacteria
Acid Fast Bacteria
Non-Acid-Fast Bacteria
o Step 3: Counterstain
Methylene blue
Stains non-acid-fast bacteria
Acid Fast Bacteria
Non-Acid-Fast Bacteria
Staining
o Staining = coloring key structures of a microbe using a dye
o Smear = thin film containing a solution of microbes fixed and attached to a slide
Fixing the microbes usually kills them ☹
Staining Basics
o Simple Stain
Uses one basic stain, so the cells are all the same color
Increased contrast between cells and background
o Steps for a Simple Stain
Smear -> air dry -> fixing (using heat) -> stain -> rinse -> dry -> examine
o Basic Dyes
Positive charge
Bonds to negatively charged parts of the cell
o Acidic Dyes
Negative charge
Bonds to positively charged parts of the cell
o Mordant
Maintains the integrity of the stain
Enlarges specimen
Shapes and Arrangements of Bacteria
o Shape #1: Cocci (Coccus)
Can be singular, pairs, chains, tetrads, and clusters
Spherical
Example: Streptococcus (chain of spherical-shaped bacteria)
o Shape #2: Bacilli (Bacillus)
Rod-shaped
Can also be coccoid shaped
Curved rods = vibrios
Singular or short chains
Example: Bacillus anthracis
o Shape #3: Spirilla (Spirillum)
Spiral-shaped (like a corkscrew pasta noodle 😊)
Flexible helix = spirochete
Example: Heliobacter pylori
o Arrangements
One plane of division = pairs and chains
Pairs = diplo (e
...
diplococci)
Chains = stepto (e
...
streptococci)
Two-three planes of division = tetrads and cubical packets
Random planes of division = clusters
Clusters = staphylo (e
...
staphylococcus)
Gram Positive vs Negative Cell Walls
o Positive
Inner plasma membrane
Thick peptidoglycan
Around 30 sheets!
Permeable
Teichoic acids
Sugars attached to phosphate groups
Covalently attached to peptidoglycan via NAM
Gives peptidoglycan a negative charge
Triggers inflammation
o Negative
Outer and inner plasma membrane
Outer membrane contains lipids, lipoproteins, and LPS
Thin peptidoglycan
Lipopolysaccharides (LPS)
Consists of O side chain (protection from host immune system),
core polysaccharide (sugars that make cell surface negative), and
Lipid A (embedded in membrane; acts as endotoxin)
o Gram Staining
Difference occurs during decolorizer phase
Overview
o Nucleoid region, ribosomes, macromolecules, cytoplasm
o No membrane enclosed organelles!
Ribosomes
o Consists of RNA and proteins
o Site of protein synthesis
o Small than eukaryotic ribosomes
Prokaryotic: 70S, Eukaryotic: 80S
Important because this is how scientists make drugs that specifically target
prokaryotes and leave our eukaryotic cells alone!
Composed of 30s and 50s subunits
o Target of antibiotics
Example: streptomycin
Nucleoid Region
o Most bacteria only have 1 chromosome
Closed, circular, double-stranded DNA
Coiled and looped
Contains nucleoid proteins
o Composed of DNA, RNA, and proteins
Cellular Structures in Bacteria
Plasmids
o Small, circular, nonessential pieces of DNA
o Genes on plasmids carry advantages
Example: drug resistance
o Separate from the chromosome
o Allows exchange of genetic info between different cells
o Applications in biotech
Example: cloning
Thick peptidoglycan of gram-positive bacteria prevents crystal violet dye
from leaking out
Alcohol/alcohol acetone creates holes in the outer membrane of gramnegative bacteria, causing crystal violet dye to leak out
Staining
Gram Stain
o Differential stain
o Gram positive bacteria stains purple
Bacillus, Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Mycobacterium
o Gram negative bacteria stains pink/red
Escherichia, Heliobacter, Pseudomonas, Salmonella
o Differences in color is a result of differences in the structure of the cell walls
Gram Stain Process
o Step 1: Primary Stain
Crystal violet
Stains both positive and negative bacteria
Gram Positive Bacteria
Gram Negative Bacteria
o Step 2: Mordant
Gram’s Iodine
Forms large crystals of dye
Gram Positive Bacteria
Gram Negative Bacteria
o Step 3: Decolorizer
Alcohol/alcohol acetone
Removes crystal violet from Gram negative bacteria
Gram Positive Bacteria
Gram Negative Bacteria
o Step 4: Counterstain
Safranin (red)
Stains Gram negative bacteria
Gram Positive Bacteria
Gram Negative Bacteria
Title: Microbiology- Staining, Bacterial Cells, Bacteria Structures
Description: Topics: Staining, shapes of bacteria, Gram positive vs negative Cell walls, cell membranes, intracellular structures, flagella
Description: Topics: Staining, shapes of bacteria, Gram positive vs negative Cell walls, cell membranes, intracellular structures, flagella