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Culture Documents
5/27/09
4. Endospores
a. Learning Objectives
i. Describe the formation and function of bacterial endospores.
b. Gram-positive bacteria ( bacillus and clostridium) can produce endospores
which are important for their durability and potential pathogenicity. They
constitute a defensive strategy against hostile or unfavorable conditions.
Resting stages that barely metabolize and germinate only when conditions
improve.
c. Sporulation requires 8 to 10 hours and has several steps.
d. They are very resistant and can form deadly toxins that cause fatal disease
such as anthrax, tetanus, and gangrene.
6. Survey of Archaea
a. Learning Objective
i. Identify the common features of microbes in the domain Archaea.
b. Archaea lack peptidoglycan in their cell walls
c. Their cell membrane lipids have branched hydrocarbon chains.
d. The initial amino acid in their polypeptide chains is methionine like in
eukaryotes.
e. Classified in two phyla- crenarchaeota and euryarchaeota. Based on rRNA
sequence.
f. They reproduce via binary fission, budding, or fragmentation. They
usually carry cocci, bacilli or spiral forms as well as pleomorphic.
g. Their cell walls vary consisting of a variety of compounds; proteins,
glycoproteins, lipoproteins, and polysaccharides.
h. Not one of them is known to cause disease in humans or animals. They
generate methane gas.
1. Extremophiles
a. Learning Objectives
i. Compare and contrast the two kinds of extermophiles discussed in
this section.
b. They are microbes that need extreme conditions such as temperature, pH
and or salinity to survive.
c. Usually among the extremophiles there are thermophiles and halophiles.
d. Thermophiles are prokaryotes whose DNA and RNA, cytoplasmic
membranes and proteins require them to leave in temperatures about 300 C
and hyperthermophiles require temp over 800C.
e. They are used in recombinant DNA tech application because their cellular
structure and enzymes are stable and functional at temperatures that
denature most proteins and nucleic acids and kill other cells.
f. Use for additives in laundry detergent
g. Halophiles classified in the phylum euryarchaeota. They inhabit extremely
saline habitats. Their absolute dependence on a concentration of NaCl
greater than 9% (1.5 molar solution) to maintain the integrity of there cell
walls.
h. Contain a red or orange pigment that probably protects them from intense
visible and ultraviolet light.
2. Methanogens
a. Learning Objectives
i. List at least four significant roles played by methanogens in the
environment.
b. Obligated anaerobes in the phylum euryarchaeota that convert CO2, H2
and organic acids into methane gas(CH4)
c. Largest known group of archaea.
d. Plays a role in converting organic waste in pond, lake and ocean sediments
into methane.
e. Swamp gas ( greenhouse gas) methane in the atmosphere traps heat, which
adds to global warming.
Survey of Bacteria