LIVING CELL

MICROBIAL CELL

microorganisms have been used by humans

since prehistoric times in the preparation of
food, alcoholic beverages, milk products etc
the role of microorganisms in
biotransformation was recognized 19th century
Today, they are not only used for the
traditional microbial processes but also for new
processes such as the production of
pharmaceuticals, industrial chemicals,
enzymes, agricultural chemicals, waste water
treatments, etc

Microbial cell
The protists
simple biological
organisms
compared to plants
and animals; algae,
protozoa, fungi, and
bacteria
unit structure of all
living organisms:
prokaryotes and
eukaryotes.

Prokaryotic cell

unit of structure in two microbial groups: bacteria

and blue-green algae.
small and simple
the cell is not compartmentalized by unit membrane
systems.
has only two structurally regions: i) cytoplasm and ii)
nuclear region (or nucleoplasm).
The cytoplasm has grainy dark spots content of
ribosomes, which are composed of protein and
ribonucleic acid (RNA).
The ribosome the site of important biochemical
reactions for protein synthesis.

 The

nuclear region is of
irregular shape, sharply
segregated even though it
is not bounded by
membrane.
The nuclear region contains
deoxyribonucleic acid
(DNA), which contains
genetic information that
determines the production
of proteins and other
cellular substances and
structures.
The prokaryotic cell is
surrounded with a cell wall
and a cell membrane.

The cell wall, considerably

thicker than the cell
membrane, protects the
cell from external
influences.
The cell membrane (or
cytoplasmic membrane) is
a selective barrier between
the interior of the cell and
the external environment.
The cell membrane serves
as the surface onto which
other cell substances
attach and upon which
many important cell

Eucaryotic cell

unit structure in plants, animals, protozoa, fungi, and

algae
cell has internal unit membrane systems that
segregate many of the functional components of the
cell
1,000 to 10,000 times larger and more complex than
prokaryotic cells.
The nucleus is surrounded by a double membrane with
pores 40 to 70 m wide, containing cytologically
distinguishable chromosomes.
The nucleus controls hereditary properties and all vital
activities of the cell.

 The

chromosomes are long

and threadlike bodies and
are found in the nuclei of
cells, which contain the
genes arranged in linear
sequence in nucleoproteins
(proteins plus nucleic acid).
The cytoplasm contains
large numbers of granules
called ribosome, which are
involved in continuous
reactions to synthesize cell
materials.

The ribosome is especially concentrated along

the rough surface of the endoplasmic reticulum,
an irregular network of interconnected
membrane-delimited channels.
The mitochondria contain the electron transport
enzymes that utilize oxygen in the process of
energy generation.
Vacuole and lysosome are organelles that serve
to isolate various chemical reactions in a cell.

Microbial nomenclature

binomial system each organism has two name

parts
Proper names of organisms are always italicized
The first word is the name of the genus (plural,
genera) in Latin or Greek word and is capitalized
The second word is the species name and is not
capitalized
There may be several species with the same
genus name
E.g: Lactobacillus plantarum. L. acidophillus, L.
casei

Bacteria

Unicellular, about 1500 species

Diameter 0.5 to 1m, vary greatly in length
Shape: cocci (spherical/ovoid), bacilly (cylindrical/rod),
spirilla (helically coiled)

Reproduction: asexual
binary fission
reproduction steps:
1)cell elongation,
2)invagination of the cell wall,
3)distribution of nuclear
material,
4)formation of the transverse
cell wall,
5)distribution of cellular
material into two cells, an
6)separation into two new cells

Elemental composition

Physical conditions for bacteria

3 major physical factors: T, gaseous environment, and pH

microbial activity and growth manifestations of enzymatic
action
the rates of enzyme reactions increase with increasing T;
the rate of microbial growth is T dependent
the optimum pH for bacteris growth lies: 6.5 - 7.5.
Although a few bacteria can grow at the extremes of the pH
range, the limits fall somewhere between pH 4 and pH9.

The principal gases in the cultivation of bacteria are O2

and CO2
There are four types of bacteria, according to their
response to oxygen:
1. Aerobic bacteria grow in the presence of free O2.
2. Anaerobic bacteria grow in the absence of free O2
3. Facultatively anaerobic bacteria grow in either
the absence or the presence of free oxygen.
4. Microaerophilic bacteria grow in the presence of
minute quantities of free oxygen
Some bacteria form spores when growth ceases due to
starvation or other causes
Spores are more resistant than normal cells to heat,
drying, radiation, and chemicals.
Spores can remain alive for many years; however, they
can convert back to normal cells at proper conditions

FUNGI
Plant devoid of
chlorophyll
unable to
synthesize their
own foods
range in size and
shape from singlecelled yeasts to
multicellullar
mushrooms
YEAST & MOLD

Yeast
widely distributed in nature (food, soil, in
the air, on the skin and in the intestines of
animals)
depend on higher plants and animals for
their energy
Unicellular spherical to ovoid
Size: 1 to 5 m in width; 5 to 30 rn in
length
The cell wall quite thin in young cells but
thickens with age.

Asexual reproduction BUDDING

A small bud (or daughter cell) is formed on the surface of a

mature cell. The bud grows and is filled with nuclear and
cytoplasmic material from the parent cell. When the bud is
as large as the parent, nuclear apparatus in both cells is
reoriented and the cells are separated. The daughter cell
may cling to the parent cell, often even after the cells are
divided
Saccharomeces cerevisiae wine, beer, leavening of bread

Mold

filamentous fungi
A single cell or spore (conidia) is germinated to form a
long thread, hyphae, which branches repeatedly as it
elongates to form a vegetative structure called a
mycelium. Since a mycelium is capable of growing
indefinitely, it can attain macroscopic dimensions.

Find everywhere
Aspergillus,
penicillium,
rhizopus
used in the
production of
antibiotics,
enzymes, food
and food
additives

Animal cell

Eukaryotic cells
They are bound together by intercellular material to
form tissue
Tissue is customarily divided into four categories:
epithelium, connective tissue, muscle, and nerve

Epithelial tissue forms the covering or lining of all free

body surfaces, both external and internal.
Connective tissue, the cells are always embedded in
an extensive intercellular matrix, which may be liquid,
semisolid, or solid
Muscle cells are usually bound together into sheets or
bundles by connective tissue are responsible for
most movement in higher animals
Nerve cells are composed of a cell body, containing the
nucleus and fibers. easy to be stimulated

PlantCell

The size within the range of 20-40 m in diameter and

100200 m long
Structure typical eukaryotic cells
However, plant cells have distinctive features such as
a rigid wall, a large vacuole, and the presence of
chloroplasts
Chloroplast is the site of photosynthesis in the plant
cell, which contains the green pigment chlorophill that
is responsible for trapping the light for the production
of carbohydrates

The plant cell is surrounded by a cell wall

The outer layer of the cell wall serves as the glue to
hold one plant cell firmly to an adjacent cell.
The inner layer of the wall is cell membrane
completely different from the cell wall in form,
composition, and function.
the wall i a rigid, relatively thick structure,
carbohydrate in nature, provides support
the cytoplasmic membrane thin (approximately 75 A)
and flexible, composed of protein and lipid, regulates
the movement of substances into and out of the cell.
The vacuole serves as a receptacle for waste
metabolic products or secondary plant substances. The
vacuole is surrounded by a plasma membrane. The
major component of large vacuoles is water, which
contains dissolved solutes, such as inorganic ions,
amino acids, organic acids, water-soluble pigments and
insoluble materials in the form of crystals and needles.
In addition, the vacuole also contains proteins such as

differences between plant & microbial cells:

1. Plant cells are 10 to 100 times larger than bacterial
and fungal cells (20-40 m in diameter and 100-200
m long)
2. The metabolism of plant cells is slower than
microbial cells the maintenance of sterility for a
longer period of time.
3. Plant cells tend to grow in clumps which cause
sedimentation, poor mixing, plugging the inlet and
outlet lines, wall growth, and so on.
4. Plant cells are more sensitive to shear than
microbial cells.
5. Metabolic production in plant cells is subject to
more complex regulatory mechanisms than
metabolic production in microbial cells.
6. Plant cells are more genetically unstable than
microbial cells.

Differences between plant and animal cell:

Energy
for supporting
biosynthesis
activities (e.g.
growth, work)
Source of energy: C
& light
Grouping organism
according to energy
pathway: autothophic
& heterotrophic

Autotrophic

organism that produces complex

organic compounds (such as carbohydrates, fats,
proteins, cell wall etc) from inorganic raw material
including CO2 as principal/carbonates/simples
inorganic compounds (e.g. ammonium sulfate,
magnesium sulfate and sodium chloride) by using
basic energy sources such as sunlight
Subdivided on the basis of their ability to utilize
the energy for cell growth: phototrophs and
chemotrophs
Phototrophs use light as an energy source (e.g.
plants)
Chemotrophs from inorganic sources (H2S, CH4,
CO2). e.g bacteria lives in waste water, volcanoes,

Heterotrophic

use organic compounds as a source of energy and

organic material for synthesis of cellular components.
1. photoautotropic: light as energy source, CO2 as C
source (higher plants)
2. Photoheterotrophic: light as energy source, organic
comp. as C source
3. Chemoautotropic: chemical as energy source, CO2
as C source; have ability to use reduced inorganic
comp as oxidizable energy sources (NH3, NO2, H2S
etc)
4. Chemoheterotrophic: chemical as energy source,
organic comp. as C source (fungi, great number of
bacteria)