STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION OF
BACTERIA
Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Sultan
Associate professor in immunology and medical microbiology
Department of Biomedical sciences
Office no 2140 contact no 0135897835
E mail
[email protected],
[email protected] Students hours Monday and Wednesday 12:30 – 2:30
Learning outcomes
• What is the differences between Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria
• What is the main components of the bacterial cell wall
• What is the functions of the following:
• 1. The bacterial cell envelope
• 2. The outer membrane of the Gram-negative bacteria
• 3. The peptidoglycan, teichoic acids and endotoxin (LPS)
• Enumerate the function of:
• - The bacterial capsule,
• - The flagella,
• - The pili and adhesions.
• What is the reason for sporulation by certain bacteria
Gram stain morphology of Bacteria
B
◼ Gram positive bacteria turn purple in the gram staining technique.
◼ The stain gets trapped in the thick peptidoglycan
◼ Gram-negative bacteria have a thin peptidoglycan
◼ and does not retain the crystal violet stain.
Gram positive and Gram-negative Bacteria
What is the main components of the Gram Positive cell Wall.
■ Many layers of Peptidoglycan
■ (absent in Mycoplasma).
■ Contains Teichoic acids
■ lipoteichoic acids
■ complex polysaccharides (C – polysaccharides)
Question 1
■ The encountered bacteria in a diagnosis are roughly spherical. In
microbiological terms which one of the following describes this
bacteria?
■ A. Cocci
■ B. Bacillus
■ C. Coccobacillus
Question 1
■ The encountered bacteria in a diagnosis are roughly spherical. In
microbiological terms which one of the following describes this
bacteria?
■ A. Cocci
■ B. Bacillus
■ C. Coccobacillus
■ Answer??
■ A
The function of peptidoglycan
■ It is porous, (Sponge like)
■ 95% of the Gram positive cell wall
■ allows for passage of metabolites to the plasma membrane.
■ Can be dissolved by Lysozyme, (found in human tears and mucus)
■ The peptidoglycan is essential for the structure, for replication,
and for survival in the normally hostile conditions .
Main components of the Gram negative cell wall
■ Structurally and chemically more complex
■ Has two layers external to the cytoplasmic membrane
■ Immediately external to the cytoplasmic membrane is:
a thin layer of peptidoglycan which is only 5 - 10% of the
cell wall weight.
■ External to the peptidoglycan layer is the outer
membrane, unique only to the Gram-negative bacteria.
Characteristic futures of Gram negative outer membrane
• Absence of teichoic or Lipoteichoic acids
• Has an additional outer membrane made of phospholipids and
lipopolysaccharides
• Lipopolysaccharides are highly charged by nature
• They confers an overall negative charge on the Gram negative cell
wall
Characteristic futures of Gram negative outer membrane
Characteristic futures of Gram negative outer membrane
■ Gram negative outer membrane has a variety of proteins
■ Known as porins
■ Porins form pores, which are Channels for the passage of
metabolites and small hydrophilic antibiotics
■ The outer membrane also contains proteins which are receptor
molecules for bacteriophages
Functions of the Gram negative outer membrane
• Maintenance of bacterial structure
• Makes the cell resistant to lysozyme, hydrophobic molecules (e.g.
Antimicrobials)
• Protection against adverse environmental conditions
(e.g. Enterobacteriaceae in the digestive system).
Question 2
■ In the lipopolysaccharide [LPS] of the Gram negative bacteria, to
which one of the following substances can the toxin effect be
attributed to?
■ A. The core polysaccharide
■ B. Lipid A
■ C. O-polysaccharide
■ D. Dideoxy-sugars
■ Answer?
Comparison of
Gram positive
and Gram
Negative cell
Wall
Image:
Courtesy of
Murray
Bacteria cell envelope
■ Includes
■ - The cell membrane and cell
wall plus an outer membrane,
if one is present.
■ Function:
■ Provides structural integrity to
the cell,
■ Protects the cell from internal
turgor pressure
The capsule
■ Gram positive and negative are sometimes surrounded by a capsule or slime layer
■ Both are called glycocalyx
■ Are layers of protein or polysaccharides
■ Important for bacterial survival in the host
■ Not necessary for growth
■ The capsule is poorly antigenic and Antiphagocytic
■ The capsule is a major virulence factor
Its function:
■ promotes adherence to other bacteria or to host tissue surfaces
Cell wall External structures
Flagella
■ Rope like structures
■ Composed of protein
flagellin
■ Provides motility for bacteria
■ Allows them to swim (Chemotaxis)
towards food or away from poisons
Fimbriae (Pilli)
■ Hair like structures
■ Composed of proteins Pilin
■ Smaller than flagellum
■ Several hundred, arrange uniformly
■ Promotes for adherence to other
bacteria or host.
■ Important factor in virulence
■ For colonization in the urinary tract
by Escherichia coli
■ And Neisseria gonorrhoeae
Fimbriae (Pilli)
■ F-pili (sex pili) bind to other bacteria
■ A tube for transfer of bacterial chromosomes between
bacteria (microbial genetics)
■ These pili are encoded with plasmid (F)
▪ Alternative names for Fimbriae:
are adhesins, lectins, evasins, and aggressins
Bacterial spores
■ Commonly referred to as endospores because the spores
are formed within the cell
■ Formation triggered by lack of nutrients
■ And usually occurs among Gram-positive bacteria
■ Bacteria converts from vegetative state into a dormant
state
■ It has the complete copy of the chromosome
■ The bacterium can remain in a dormant form for
generations
Structure of a spore
■ The spore has an inner
membrane
■ Two peptidoglycan layers and
■ An outer tough keratin-like protein
coat.
■ The structure of the spore
protects the genomic DNA From
intense heat, radiation, enzyme
and chemical attacks,
Sporulation Bacillus species.
Summary
Membrane Characteristics of Gram positive and Gram negative cell
wall
Image: Courtesy of Murray
Summary: Bacterial Membrane Structures
Image: Courtesy of Murray
Summary: Bacterial Membrane Structures Cont’d
Functions of the Bacterial Envelope
REFERNCES
■ Medical Microbiology By Patrick R. Murray,
■ 7th Edition
■ Chapter 12. pg. 112 -117
■ 8th Edition
■ Chapter 12. pg. 109 - 118
