Industrial Microbiology

Instructor: Bita Zamiri

Today we will study:

• Bacterial cell structure and function

Bacterial Structure and Function
Bacterial Structure and Function
Bacterial cell structure and function
• Escherichia Coli was discovered by the German
bacteriologist Theodor Escherich. It is a major inhabitant
of the colon of humans and the lower gut of other warm
blooded animals.

• E.coli in a gram-negative bacterium (Explained in the

next slide)

• Some strains (genetic variant or subtype of

microorganisms, nexr slide) can cause food and water-
borne diseases that produce diarrhea and can be especially
problematic for human infants and young animals.

• The organism has a rapid growth rate with a doubling time

as low as 20 min.

• It is a very important organisms in industrial microbiology.

• It is facultative anaerobe (Explained in the following

slides)

• The cells are short straight rods, approximately 0.3-1 µm

long, that divide by binary fission after elongating to twice
their normal length.

• Members of the genus Escherichia carry out mixed acid

fermentation, producing lactate, acetate, succinate and
formate.
Bacterial cell structure and function

Taxonomic Hierarchy:

• Similar to varieties of apples, or races of people, there are strains of prokaryotic

species (e.g. the harmless Escherichia Coli K12 versus the deadly pathogenic E.coli
O157:H7)
Bacterial cell structure and function
• In order to identify different taxonomic classifications, the following characteristics are
useful:

1. Ecological Characterization

2. Morphological Characterization

1. Physiological and Metabolic Characterization

• Carbon and nitrogen sources

• Cell wall constituents
• Energy sources
• Fermentation products
• Growth temperature optimum and range
• Mechanisms of energy conversion
• Motility
• Osmotic tolerance
• Relationship with oxygen
• Optimum pH and growth range
• Salt requirements and tolerance
• Secondary metabolites formed
• Sensitivity to metabolic inhibitors and antibiotics
Bacterial Structure and Function

Cell Wall

Cell Wall
Bacterial Structure and Function

• In the following, you can find the gram stain procedure:

Cell Wall
Bacterial cell structure and function
• The outer covering of Gram-negative
bacterial cells are often referred to as
envelopes.

• They are essentially composed of two layers

that protect the cell and provide rigidity.

• The outer most layer is called the outer

membranes, which is 7-8 nm thick,
containing lipopolysaccharides and
mucopeptide. It is more permeable than the
cytoplasmic membrane and allows the
movement of small molecules, charges or
uncharged, but is a barrier to hydrophobic
molecules and proteins.

• It contains porin proteins. Non specific porins

allows the passage of molecules up to 600-
700 Da whereas specific porins have binding
sites for one or more substance up to 5000
Da.

• Lipopolysaccharide components of the

envelope are effective in protecting the cell
from detergents and antimicrobial agents.
Bacterial cell structure and function
• Within the outer membrane and covalently
attached to it through lipoprotein, is a thin
layer of peptidoglycan some 2-3 nm thick.

• It consists only 5-10% of the cell envelope

and is composed of the 1-3 layers, compared
with the 20-25 layer of Gram-positive
bacteria.

• When the peptidoglycan layer is incomplete,

bacterial cells may swell and ultimately burst.

• The peptidoglycan extends into the

periplasmic space, which is 12-15 nm wide.

• The periplasmic space is not empty, it

contains a range of proteins, binding proteins,
various enzymes and etc.

• Below the periplasmic space, lies the inner

cell (cytoplasmic membrane) that enclosed
the cytoplasmic matrix.

• This structure is highly selective controlling

the entry of nutrients and larger compounds.
Bacterial Structure and Function

Cellular membrane: Lipid bilayer + proteins

Bacterial cell structure and function
• The cytoplasmic matrix if maintained at pH 7.6-7.8 with
differences between the intracellular and extracellular pH.

• The chromosome resides in the nucleoid regions that occupies

approximately 10% of the cell’s volume. It is a single circular
molecule of double stranded DNA made up of 4600 kbp,
constituting over 4000 gene ( 1mm long and 1 nm thick).

• Plasmids, relatively small circular extarchromosomal DNA

molecules may also be present

• Flagallae of motile strains propel the cell through aqueous

media.

• In E.coli, flagellae are arranged around the entire (several

micrometers long)

• In additions fibrils (pili) may be attached to the outer

membrane which are short hair-like projections (5-7 nm in
diameter and 400 nm long)

• Some strains also possess capsules located outside the outer

membrane which are composed of polysaccharides. They may
provide a barrier to certain molecules, aid attachment of
pathogenic strain to host cell surfaces