Morphology and Structure of Bacteria

Huaixin Zheng PhD

Department of Microbiology and Immunology
School of Basic Medical Sciences
Zhengzhou University
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 What are Bacteria?

• Bacteria are unicellular prokaryotic organisms that have no

organelles except ribosomes, no membrane-enclosed nucleus.
• Prokaryotic
• Unicellular
• Small
• Relatively simple structure

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 Size of Bacteria
• Unit for measurement :

Micron or Micrometer (μm): 1 μm=10-3 mm

• Size:

Varies with bacteria species, and also is related to their age

and external environment.

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 Shape of Bacteria

l Cocci (singular: coccus): spherical, ~1μm

l Bacilli (singular: bacillus) : rods , 0.5-1 μm in width -3 μm in length

l Spiral bacteria: 1~3 μm in length and 0.3-0.6 μm in width

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 Coccus: spherical-shaped
Bacillus: rod-shaped

Spiral Bacteria: spiral-shaped

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Shape of Bacteria

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 Grouping of Bacteria

Coccus/Cocci:
Pairs (diplococcus )
Chain (streptococcus)
Cubical bundle (tetrad, sarcina)
Grape-like irregular cluster (staphylococcus)

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 Grouping of Bacteria

Baccili:
Single Coccobacilli
Pair Fusiform
Chain

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Video 1: Bacterial Shapes

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 Structure of Bacteria
• Essential structures
cell wall
cell membrane
cytoplasm
nuclear material

• Particular structures
capsule
flagella
pili
spore
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Gram-positive and Gram-negative cell
walls

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Cell wall --- Peptidoglycan layer

vBackbone: composed of alternating N-acetyl glucosamine

and N-acetyl muramic acid connected by β-1,4 glycosidic
bone.

vTetrapeptide side chain: link to N-acetyl muramic acid.

vPentapeptide cross bridge: composed of five glycines (only

in G+ bacteria ).

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 Gram positive bacteria

G N-acetylglucosamine
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M N-acetylmuramic acid
 Gram negative bacteria

G N-acetylglucosamine

M N-acetylmuramic acid

In many Gram-negative cell walls, the cross-bridges consist

of a direct peptide linkage between the diaminopimelic acid
(DAP) of one side chain and the carboxyl group of the
terminal D-alanine of another side chain on the adjacent 14
backbone.
 Special component of Gram positive cell wall
---Teichoic acid

Wall teichoic acid: covalently links

to peptidoglycan(N-acetyl muramic )
Membrane teichoic acid: covalently
links to membrane glycolipid.

The teichoic acids extend through

the cell wall and constitute major
surface antigens of the bacteria.

Teichoic acid is composed of glycerol phosphate and ribitol phosphate

linked by phosphodiester bonds.
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Teichoic acid

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 Cell wall

peptidoglycan
G+
teichoic acids

peptidoglycan
G-
Gram-stain outer membrane

Gram-positive bacteria, G+
Gram-negative bacteria, G-
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Special component of Gram negative cell wall
---Outer membrane

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS)

Lipid bilayer
Lipoprotein

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 The Structure of LPS

Specific polysaccharide：
O antigen

Core polysaccharide：

Lipid A：
Associated with the toxicity
of LPS
Has no species specificity

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Periplasmic Space

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 Functions of Cell Wall

I. Maintaining the cell’s characteristic shape

II. Giving osmotic protection

III. Play an essential role in cell division

IV. Be the sites of major antigenic determinants of the cell

surface

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Video 2: Gram Stain

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 L forms of bacteria
l When bacteria are treated with 1) enzymes that are lytic
for the cell wall e.g. lysozyme or 2) antibiotics that
interfere with biosynthesis of peptidoglycan, if such wall-
defective cells are able to grow and divide, they are called
L forms.

l Gram-positive cells---protoplasts

l Gram-negative cells---spheroplasts (retain outer

membrane and entrapped peptidoglycan)

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 Features of L forms

• L forms can be produced spontaneously or inductively.

• Be difficult to cultivate. They require a special media that is
solidified with agar as well as having right osmotic strength.
• Some L form can revert to the normal bacillary form upon
removal of the inducing stimulus.
• L form in the host may produce chronic infection that are
relatively resistant to antibiotic treatment.

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25
 The acting site
of lysozyme

The acting site

of penicillin

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 Cell Membrane
The bacterial cytoplasmic membrane is composed of
phospholipids and proteins. The membranes of prokaryotes are
distinguished from those of eukaryotic cells by the absence of
sterols. (Very useful property!)

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Mesosome (中间体)

convoluted invaginations of cytoplasmic membrane form

specialized structures are called mesosomes, which
participate cell division. 28
 Function of Cell Membrane

l Selective permeability and transport of solutes.

l Electron transport and oxidative phosphorylation in aerobic

species. Energy Plant! Mitochondria are some kind of
microorganism living in cells.

l Excretion of hydrolytic exoenzymes.

l Bearing the enzymes and carrier molecules that function in the

biosynthesis of DNA, cell wall polymers.

l Containing transport proteins that allow the uptake of metabolites

and release of other substances. 29
 Cytoplasm

a) Composed by abundant water, proteins, nucleic acid,

lipids and small amount of sugars and salts.

b) Containing ribosomes, plasmids and inclusions.

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 Ribosome

• Ribosomes are the sites of the

protein synthesis.

• Sedimentation coefficient---
70S (two subunits: 50S, 30S)

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 Plasmid

Plasmids are small, circular, covalently closed, double-stranded

DNA molecules. They are capable of self-replication and carry
genes coding for some properties of the bacteria, such as
antibiotic resistance, virulence。Plasmids are not essential for
cellular survival.

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 Inclusions of Bacteria

• Inclusions are aggregates of various compounds that are normally

involved in storing energy reserves for the cell. Inclusions
accumulate when a cell is grown in the presence of excess nutrients.

Metachromatic granules in diphtheria bacilli 33

Nucleus
• Lacking nuclear membrane, absence of nucleoli, hence
known as nucleic material or nucleoid, one to several per
bacterium.

Note how tightly packaged the DNA must be inside the bacterium.
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Specific structures of bacteria

• Capsule

• Flagella

• Pili (fimbriae)

• Spore

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 Capsules
• Some bacteria have a extracellular polymer surrounding the cell.

• When the polymer form a condensed well-defined layer, it is called a

capsule.

• Slime layer is loose, and appear to be detached from the cell that is
removed easily.

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 Capsules

• Capsules usually consist of polysaccharide; however, in

certain bacilli they are composed of a polypeptide.

• Capsule is not essential to cell viability. And it is often

lost during in vitro culture.

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 Capsule
Capsules are clearly visible in the light microscope when negative
stains or special capsule stains are employed.

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 Function of Capsule

l Attachment : help cells to adhere to other bacteria or to tissue

surface.

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 Function of Capsule

l Protect the cells from phagocytosis

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Function of Capsule

l Act as a barrier to antimicrobial substances in the blood, body fluids,

such as antibiotics, complements, lysozyme.

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 Flagella
lBacterial flagella are thread-like appendages. They are the
organs of locomotion and provide motility for bacteria.

lBacterial flagella are composed of protein(flagellins). They are

highly antigenic(H antigens).

lBacterial flagella are 10-20 µm long and 12-30nm in diameter.

Flagella cannot be seen in the light microscope unless a special
stain is applied.
 monotrichous
amphitrichous

peritrichous lophotrichous
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G- bacteria G+ bacteria

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 Function of Flagella

lOrgans of locomotion: they can provide motility for bacteria,

allowing the cell to swim toward food and away from poisons.

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 Pili (fimbriae)
l Pili are rigid surface appendages, which are shorter
and finer than flagella.
l Pili are composed of structural protein subunits
termed pilins.
l Two kinds of pili:
a. Ordinary pili

(short, straight bristles)

a. Sex pili

(long, flexible)

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 Ordinary pili

lOrdinary pili play a role in the adherence of pathogenic

bacteria to host.

lOrdinary pili are related to the virulence of pathogenic

bacteria.

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Sex pili

l Sex pili are responsible for the attachment of donor and

recipient cells in bacterial conjugation.

l Sex pili are related to the transfer of drug-resistance, virulence.

Conjugation 48
 Endospores
vA number of gram-positive bacteria can form a special
dormant structure under conditions of nutritional depletion,
called an endospore.

vOne cell forms one internal spore.

vWhen returned to favorable nutritional conditions, the spore

germinates to produce a single vegetative cell.

vSpores are commonly found in the genera Bacillus and

Clostridium.

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Endospore structure

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The position and size of Endospore

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 Features of endospore

vEndospores are highly resistant to environmental factors such as

desiccation, heat, chemical agents.

vEndospores can exist for a very long time, and then germinate.

vEndospores elicit disease only when they enter the host and
germinate to produce vegetative cells.

vEndospores are difficult to decontaminate with standard disinfectants.

A temperature of 121℃ for 15 minutes is utilized to kill spores.

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Video 3: Bacterial Structure and Function

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