Biology Lesson 5 - Microbiology

Viruses
Non-living, parasitic, infectious agent that can only replicate within a host cell.
-Viruses infect every type of living organism (plant, animal, bacteria, archaebacteria).
-Structure - nucleic acid encased in a protein capsid (enveloped or nonenveloped)
-Genome can be linear or circular and can be either dsDNA, ssDNA, dsRNA, or ssRNA.
-Relatively small genomes that can often be read in different reading frames.
-Typically uses hosts replication, transcription, and translation machinery.
-Much smaller than prokaryotic or eukaryotic cells

Bacteriophage Life Cycles

Lytic Cycle
1) Adsorption Bind cell surface via tail (host cell specific interactions)
2) Penetration puncture cell wall and membrane and inject genome into the host cell
3) Hydrolase (a viral gene product) is produced and degrades the hosts genome.
4) Replication of the viral genome (many copies) and synthesis of much capsid protein
5) Assembly of new virus particles
6) Production of lysozyme to degrade the cell wall resulting in cell lysis and release of virus particles.
Lysogenic Cycle
1) Adsorption Bind cell surface via tail (host cell specific interactions)
2) Penetration puncture cell wall and membrane and inject genome into the host cell
3) Integration of the phage genome into the host genome
4) Dormancy viral genes not expressed by viral genome is transmitted to all progeny during cell division
5) Activation excision of viral DNA and entrance into the lytic cycle

Animal cell viruses have similar cycles to the lytic and lysogenic.
Viruses of eukaryotes often have a lipid bilayer envelope and enter the host cell via endocytosis and exit by
budding out of the host cell.

Host cells contain restriction enzymes that will degrade viral DNA. Bacteria methylate their own DNA to
distinguish it from foreign DNA.

Transduction transfer of genetic material via a virus in the lysogenic cycle.

Virus Types (by genome)

[+] RNA viruses viral genome is ssRNA which can also serve directly as mRNA
-must code for an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase for viral replication

[-] RNA viruses viral genome is ssRNA which is anti-sense (-) and therefore complementary to the mRNA
coding for the viral genes.
Must code for an RNA-dependent RNA polymerase and include this polymerase in its capsid
to be infectious
tio
sla
n
a
tr

[-] RNA

n viral proteins

RNA-dep
RNA-dep
RNA Pol [+] RNA RNA Pol [-] RNA
(assembled
(can serve
into capsids
as mRNA)
for new viruses)

Retroviruses [+] RNA viruses that convert their genomes into dsDNA for incorporation into the hosts
genome; must encode an RNA-dependent DNA polymerase (reverse transcriptase)

Prokaryotes

plasmid
ribosomes

plasma membrane
cell wall

supercoiled
circular
chromosome

flagellum

cilia
-Single circular dsDNA genome and possibly the presence of a plasmid(s).
-No nucleus, membrane bound organelles or mitotic apparatus.
-Coupled transcription and translation.
Eubacteria vs. Archaebacteria
Classifications of Bacteria

cocci
(spherical)

bacilli
(rod-shaped)

spirilla
(spiral-shaped)

Gram Positive Bacteria stain dark purple during gram staining

-have cell membrane and cell wall (peptidoglycan)
Gram Negative Bacteria stain pink during gram staining
-have cell membrane, cell wall and outer lipopolysaccharide layer (contains endotoxins)

Flagellar Propulsion bacterial flagellum used by motile bacteria for locomotion

Chemotaxis- movement is directed toward chemoattractants or away from chemorepellents
(sensed by chemoreceptors)
-powered by ATP hydrolysis

Fission
Reproduction simply through growth, DNA replication, and cell division.
Doubling times vary but can be as short as 20 minutes under ideal conditions.

Endospores dormant form produced by some bacteria under harsh conditions.

-have a thick peptidoglycan coat and can survive through extreme conditions
Aerobes can survive in an oxygen environment
Anaerobes do not require oxygen to survive
Facultative Anaerobes Can carry out out metabolic processes with or without oxygen

Conjugation

-way to share genetic information adding to diversity

-common way of conferring antibiotic resistance genes

Fungi
Eukaryotes including yeast (unicellular) and a variety of multicellular forms.
Have a cell wall made of chitin.

Asexual Reproduction
1) Budding A fungal cell simply grows out of an existing fungal cell until distinct.
2) Spore Formation procuded by mitosis, spores will germinate under favorable condition to become active.

Sexual Reproduction