Structure of Bacteria related to

PATHOGENESITAS
ANATOMI MORFOLOGI
PROKARIOT

Size of Bacteria

Average bacteria 0.5 - 2.0 um in diam.

RBC is 7.5 um in diam.

Surface Area ~12 um^2

Volume is ~4 um
Surface Area to Volume is 3:1
Typical Eukaryote Cell SA/Vol is 0.3:1
Food enters through SA, quickly
reaches all parts of bacteria
Eukaroytes need structures &
organelles
Chapter 4

Shapes of Bacteria

Coccus
Chain = Streptoccus
Cluster =

Staphylococcus

Bacillus
Chain = Streptobacillus

Coccobacillus
Vibrio = curved
Spirillum
Spirochete
Square
Star
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Bacterial Structures

Flagella
Pili
Capsule
Plasma Membrane
Cytoplasm
Cell Wall
Lipopolysaccharid
es
Teichoic Acids
Inclusions
Spores
Chapter 4

Motility - movement
Flagella
Swarming occurs with some bacteria
Spread across Petri Dish
Proteus species most evident

Arrangement basis for classification

Monotrichous; 1 flagella
Lophotrichous; tuft at one end
Amphitrichous; both ends
Peritrichous; all around bacteria

Observe Picture in Micro Lab.

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Mono- or Lophotrichorus

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Pili

Short protein appendages

smaller than flagella

Adhere bacteria to surfaces

E. coli has numerous types
K88, K99, F41, etc.
Antibodies to will block adherance

F-pilus; used in conjugation

Exchange of genetic information

Flotation; increase boyancy

Pellicle (scum on water)
More oxygen on surface
Chapter 4

F-Pilus for Conjugation

Chapter 4

Capsule or Slime Layer

Glycocalyx - Polysaccharide on
external surface
Adhere bacteria to surface
S. mutans and enamel of teeth

Prevents Phagocytosis
Complement cant penetrate sugars

Chapter 4

Cytoplasm

80% Water {20% Salts-Proteins)

Osmotic Shock important

DNA is circular, Haploid

Advantages of 1N DNA over 2N DNA
More efficient; grows quicker
Mutations allow adaptation to environment

quicker

Plasmids; extra circular DNA

Antibiotic Resistance

No organelles (Mitochondria, Golgi, etc.)

Chapter 4

Cell Membrane

Bilayer Phospholipid
Water can penetrate
Flexible
Not strong, ruptures easily
Osmotic Pressure created by cytoplasm

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Cell Wall

Peptido-glycan Polymer (amino acids

+ sugars)
Unique to bacteria
Sugars; NAG & NAM
N-acetylglucosamine
N-acetymuramic acid

D form of Amino acids used not L

form
Hard to break down D form

Amino acids cross link NAG & NAM

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Cell Wall Summary

Determine shape of bacteria

Strength prevents osmotic rupture
20-40% of bacteria
Unique to bacteria
Some antibiotics effect directly
Penicillin

Chapter 4

Video Clip on Cell Wall

Chapter 4

Teichoic Acids

Gram + only
Glycerol, Phosphates, & Ribitol
Attachment for Phages

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)

Endotoxin or Pyrogen
Fever causing
Toxin nomenclature
Endo- part of bacteria
Exo- excreted into environment

Structure
Lipid A
Polysaccharide
O Antigen of E. coli, Salmonella

G- bacteria only
Alcohol/Acetone removes
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LPS (contd)

Functions
Toxic; kills mice, pigs, humans
G- septicemia; death due to LPS
Pyrogen; causes fever
DPT vaccination always causes fevers
Adjuvant; stimulates immunity

Heat Resistant; hard to remove

Detection (all topical & IV products)
Rabbits (measure fever)
Horse shoe crab (Amoebocytes Lyse in presence

of LPS)
Chapter 4

LPS (contd.)

Appearance of Colonies
Mucoid = Smooth (lots of LPS or capsule)
Dry = Rough (little LPS or capsule)

O Antigen of Salmonella and E. coli

2,000 different O Ags of Salmonella
100s different O Ags of E. coli
E. coli O157

O Ags differ in Sugars, not Lipid A

Chapter 4

Resistant structure

Endospores

Heat, irradiation, cold

Boiling >1 hr still viable

Takes time and energy to make spores

Location important in classification
Central, Subterminal, Terminal

Bacillus stearothermophilus -spores

Used for quality control of heat sterilization

equipment

Bacillus anthracis - spores

Used in biological warfare

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Chapter 4

Prokaryotic Cells

Bacterial
Structure in
Relationship to
Pathogenicity

Essential components of a bacterial

cell

Chromosom
e
Ribosomes
Cytoplasmic
proteins
Cytoplasmic
membrane
Cell wall
Surface
layer or
Capsule

Anatomical Regions of a Bacterium

I. Appendages: Flagellum, Pilus
II. Cell Envelope: Capsule, Cell wall, Cytoplasmic membrane
III. Cytoplasm: Chromosome, Plasmid, Ribosomes, Inclusions

1um

Schematic Drawing of a typical bacterial cell

Bacterial Anatomy
three architectural regions of a bacterium
appendages (proteins attached to the cell
surface) in the form of flagella and fimbriae
cell envelope consisting of a capsule,
outer membrane (in Gram-negative
bacteria), cell wall and plasma membrane
cytoplasmic region contains the cell
genome (DNA) and ribosomes and
various sorts of inclusions, as well as
enzymes and metabolic intermediates

The Importance of the Bacterial Surface

Surface properties of a bacterium are determined by the exact molecular
composition of its membrane and cell wall, including LPS (outer membrane),
various unique and shared cell wall proteins, and the other surface structures such
as flagella, fimbriae and capsules.

A dividing pair of streptococci

The Importance of the Bacterial Surface

Possible natural functions of bacterial surface components
(1) permeability barriers that allow selective passage of nutrients and exclusion of harmful substances
(e.g. antimicrobial agents)
(2) adhesins used to attach or adhere to specific surfaces or tissues
(3) enzymes to mediate specific reactions on the cell surface important in the survival of the organism
(4) protective structures against phagocytic engulfment or killing
(5) antigenic disguises
(6) "sensing proteins" that can respond to temperature, osmolarity, salinity, light, oxygen, nutrients, cell
density (quorum sensing), etc.
In medical situations as determinants of virulence
(1) colonize tissues
(2) resist phagocytosis, antibiotics
and host immune responses
(3) induce inflammation, complement
activation and immune responses in
animals by means of various structural
components

Cell surface of a Bacillus

Bacterial Surface Appendages

Flagella organelles for

swimming
motility
Pili (or fimbriae)
- for attachment
or adherence to
surfaces; sex
pilus used
during some
genetic
exchange
processes

Flagella
Flagella are long
whiplike filaments
composed of protein
that originate in the cell
membrane.

Salmonella enterica, like most

enteric bacteria, is capable of
swimming movement by
means of flagella.

Flagella rotate and

impart swimming
movement on the cells

Flagella are for swimming movement

Peritrichous
flagella are
distributed all
over the cell
surface
Proteus
mirabilis swims by means of
peritrichous flagella

Polar flagella
originate at the
pole of a cell
Vibrio cholerae has a single polar
flagellum

Detecting Motility in Bacteria

By direct microscopic
observation

QuickTime and a
Graphics decompressor
are needed to see this picture.

Detecting Motility in Bacteria

Peritrichous flagella

Polar flagellum

Bacillus cereusVibrio choleraeBacillus brevis

By using flagellar stains to detect the

presence and distribution of flagella

Detecting Motility in Bacteria

Staphylococcus
epidermidis
Non motile

E. coli
motile

By inoculation of the bacteria into

motility test medium

How Flagella Work

basal
body

Filament is rotated
by a protein
motor in the cell
membrane
Motor is powered
by proton motive
force (pmf) on the
outside of
membrane

motor
filament

pmf
on this
side of
membrane

Ecological Advantages to Swimming

1.

Survival: escape predatory protozoa and white

blood cells (phagocytes)

2.

Swim towards nutrients or away from harmful

substances (chemotaxis)

3.

Swim towards or away from O2 (aerotaxis)

4.

Swim towards light (phototaxis)

5.

Swim toward the North Pole or the South Pole

(magnetotaxis)

The Structure of the Bacterial Surface: Flagella Summary

Flagella filamentous protein structures attached to the cell surface that provide swimming movement
for most motile bacterial cells.
The flagellar filament is rotated by a motor apparatus in the plasma membrane allowing the cell to
swim in fluid environments.
tactic behavior or motility is the ability to move (swim) in response to environmental stimuli.
Chemotaxis: a bacterium can sense the quality and quantity of certain chemicals in its environment
and swim towards them (if they are useful nutrients) or away from them (if they are harmful
substances).
Aerotaxis: bacteria swim toward or away from O 2
motility as a determinant of virulence: e.g. Vibrio cholerae, Campylobacter, Helicobacter,
Pseudomonas

Pili or Fimbriae
Pili (also called
fimbriae) are short
hair-like structures
composed of
protein on the cell
surface.

Functions of Pili and Fimbriae

Attachment to a
surface or
substrate
Shigella dysenteriae uses its
fimbriae to attach to the intestine
and then produces a toxin that
causes diarrhea.

Neissera gonorrhoeae, the cause of the gonorrhea,

uses pili to attach to the urogenital and cervical
epithelium when it causes disease

Functions of Pili and Fimbriae

Resistance to Phagocytic engulfment

Phagocytosis of streptococci by a macrophage

Chain of streptococci protected from engulfment by fimbrial (M) protein

Functions of Pili and Fimbriae

A special type of pilus called the sex

pilus is used in mating between
bacteria

E. coli uses its sex pilus (called the F-pilus) to

transfer DNA between mating bacteria during
conjugation.

The Structure of the Bacterial Surface: Pili and Fimbriae Summary

Fimbriae and Pili are interchangeable terms used to designate short, hair-like structures on
the surfaces of bacterial cells.
A specialized type of pilus (always called a pilus), the F or sex pilus, mediates the transfer of
DNA between mating bacteria.
Common pili (almost always called fimbriae) are usually involved in adherence (attachment)
of bacterial cells to surfaces in nature. In medical situations, they are major determinants of
bacterial virulence.

Bacterial Cell Envelope

Capsules - for
adherence,
resistance to
engulfment,
storage
Cell wall protection against
lysis or rupture of
the cell
Cytoplasmic
membrane transport of
nutrients, energy
generation, ATP
production, special
functions

Capsules

Capsules are composed of polysaccharides

(occasionally polypeptides) deposited
outside the cell wall.
Bacterial
cell

Capsular material

Using special staining techniques,

some capsules can be demonstrated
as a halo surrounding the bacterial
cells.

Types of Capsules

True capsules are discrete layers enclosing a cell or

group of cells that can be readily visualized
microscopically.

Negative stain of Streptococcus

pneumoniae outlining its
notorious polysaccharide capsule

Usually, if a bacterium forms a capsule, it will

grow on certain media with a gummy or mucoid
type of colony, such as these colonies of
Bacillus anthracis.

Types of Capsules

Microcapsules, or glycocalyx, are a web of

carbohydrate molecules that envelops the cell.
Microcapsules cannot be seen with light microscope.
Microcapsules can be detected by chemical means or
by carefully-prepared electron micrographs.

The hyaluronic acid capsue of Streptoccus

pyogenes is a microcapsule

Types of Capsules
A slime layer or biofilm is a diffuse matrix of
polysaccharide which imbeds one or more types
of bacteria.

Various bacteria growing in a slime layer or biofilm

Functions of Capsules

Protection against phagotrophic

engulfment
Mediate adherence to surfaces
Protection against drying
Reserve of nutrients
Biofilms for protection and
metabolic communication among
microbes

Functions of Capsules

Protection against phagotrophic

engulfment

Three bacteria that use capsules to protect themselves from attack by phagocytes
during infections. L to R. Streptococcus pneumoniae - pneumonia; Bacillus anthracis anthrax; Streptococcus pyogenes - strep throat.

Functions of Capsules

Mediate adherence to surfaces

Oral streptococci use their capsular slime to adhere to the the surfaces of the
teeth and gums.

Functions of Capsules

Reserve of nutrients

Colonies of oral streptococci growing on mitis-salivarius agar. The medium

contains 5% sucrose. Streptococcus salivarius (left) stores excess sugar
as levan polymer; Streptococcus mutans (right) stores the carbohydrate
as a dextran polymer. The polysaccharide polymers give the colonies there
glistening, sugary appearance.

Functions of Capsules

Biofilms for protection and

metabolic communication among
microbes

Biofilm development by Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Figure from: Kolter, R. and R.

Losick. 1998. One for all and all for one. Science 280:226-227. After the bacteria form
the biofilm, they are protected from antibiotics, detergents, disinfectants, etc., which
cannot penetrate the slime.

Cell Walls

Cell wall is a
structure that
completely
surrounds the cell
protoplast.

(Almost) all
bacteria have a
cell wall.

A dividing pair of enterococci

Cell Walls

Why study bacterial cell walls?

They are essential structures in bacteria.
They are made of chemical components
found nowhere else in nature.
They may cause symptoms of disease in
animals.
They are the site of action of some of
our most important antibiotics.

Profile of the bacterial cell

envelope

Gram-positive cell wall is thick

homogeneous monolayer
Gram-negative cell wall is thin
heterogeneous multilayer

Primary function of the bacterial cell

wall

To prevent
rupture or
osmotic
lysis of the
cell
protoplast
Lysis of a pair of dividing E. coli cells

Chemical nature of bacterial cell walls

Bacterial cell walls

always contain murein,
which is a type of
peptidoglycan

Chemical nature of
murein accounts for the
function of the cell wall

Murein is only found in

the cell walls of bacteria
E. coli peptidoglycan

Chemical nature of bacterial cell walls

Peptidoglycan is made up
of
2 amino sugars
N-acetyl-glucosamine =
G
N- acetylmuramic acid
=M

4 amino acids
L-alanine = L-ala
D-glutamic acid = D-glu
diaminopimelic acid =
DAP
D-alanine = D-ala

Other characteristics of bacterial cell

walls
Gram-positive cell walls contain teichoic
acids

Teichoic acids are thought to stabilize the

Gram positive cell wall and may be used in adherence.

Other characteristics of bacterial cell

walls
Gram-negative cell walls include an outer
membrane

Other characteristics of bacterial cell

walls
Outer membrane of Gram-negatives has two
important properties
1.
It protects the cells from permeability by many
substances including penicillin and lysozyme.
2.
It is the location of lipopolysaccharide (endotoxin)
which is toxic for animals.

Cell (cytoplasmic) membrane

Completely
encloses the
bacterial cell
protoplast

Composed of 60%
protein and 40%
phospholipid

Arranged as a
bilayer
Section of a cytoplasmic membrane

Membrane structure and assembly

The fluid mosaic model of a membrane

The proteins associate with both sides of

the membrane, or may imbed in the
membrane, or pass through the membrane.

The cytoplasmic membrane of E. col

Functions
permeability barrier
transport
electron transport and
energy generation
coordination of nuclear
replication and cell division
specialized enzymatic
processes

Functions of the membrane during

expression of virulence
Functions
permeability barrier (to antibiotics or host defensins)
transport of nutrients
export of toxic substances
sensing the environment
specialized enzymatic processes

Endospores are produced as intracellular structures within the cytoplasm

of certain bacteria, most notably Bacillus and Clostridium species.

Endospore forming bacteria left to right: Clostridium botulinum, Bacillus brevis,

Bacillus thuringiensis

Properties of Endospores

Resting (dormant)
cells cryptobiotic i.e.,
show no signs of
life..primarily
due to lack of
water in the spore

Properties of Endospores

Several unique
surface layers not
found in
vegetative cells:
exosporium, spore
coat, cortex, and
core wall

Properties of Endospores

Highly resistant to
heat (boiling),
acids, bases, dyes
( dont stain)
irradiation,
disinfectants,
antibiotics, etc.

Properties of Endospores

Parasporal crystal

Endospore

Spores and parasporal crystals produced by

some bacteria are toxic to insects

Endospore formation is NOT a mechanism of reproduction. Rather it is a

mechanism for survival in deleterious environments. During the process of
spore formation, one vegetative cell develops into one endospore.

The sequential steps of endospore formation in a Bacillus species. The process of endospore formation takes
about six hours. Eventually the mature endospore is released from its mother cell as a free spore
Free endospore

Endospore
within mother cell
Vegetative cell

Under favorable nutritional and environmental conditions, an

endospore germinates into a vegetative cell.

A germinating spore

Endospore-forming
Bacteria

Bacillus anthracis causes anthrax

Bacillus cereus causes food poisoning
Clostridium tetani causes tetanus
Clostridium botulinum causes botulism
Clostridium perfringens causes food
poisoning and gas gangrene
Clostridium difficile causes antibioticinduced diarrhea and pseudomembranous
colitis

G+ vs. G

G+
Thicker cell wall
Teichoic Acids

G Endotoxin - LPS

Which are more sensitive to Penicllin?

Alcohol/Acetone affects which more?
Chapter 4

Prokaryotes vs. Eukaryotes

Cell Wall
Teichoic Acids
LPS
Endospores
Circular DNA
Plasmids

Chapter 4

Eukaryote Cell
Structure

Chapter 4