2. Fundamentals in Microbiology

Question 1

What are the usual characteristics of bacteria?

Answer 1

Commonly have 1 circular plasmid
Generally only have 1 chromosome
Operons
Contain Nucleoids

Question 2

What are the usual characteristics of bacterial chromosomes?

Answer 2

Have housekeeping genes

Continuous coding regions (no introns)

Question 3

What are pathogenicity islands?

Answer 3

Large clusters of genes that code for factors associated with virulence

Question 4

What factors are associated with virulence?

Answer 4

Attachment to host cells

Secretion of virulence factors

Question 5

What are main mechanisms used by bacteria to acquire new traits?

Answer 5

Genetic rearrangement
Natural transformation
Conjugation
Transduction

Question 6

What is genetic rearrangement?

Answer 6

Point mutations; insertion, deletion, inversion, reversion

Question 7

What is natural transformation?

Answer 7

Uptake and incorporation of nake DNA

Question 8

What is conjugation?

Answer 8

Genetic exchange between bacteria

Question 9

What is transduction?

Answer 9

Exchange occurs as consequence of phage predation

Question 10

Why are bacterial plasmids so useful in a lab?

Answer 10

Expression of proteins
Sequencing DNA
Stability
Transferring information

Question 11

What are the useful outcomes of sequencing microbes?

Answer 11

Gene prediction
Understanding genomic structure
Diagnostics
Microbiome studies

Question 12

What is a sigma factor?

Answer 12

A protein needed for initiation of transcription in bacteria. (Transcription factor)

Question 13

What is an operon?

Answer 13

A group of genes clustered together, coding for related genes

Question 14

What is induction?

Answer 14

The ability of one cell or tissues to direct the development of neighbouring cells or tissues

Question 15

What is repression?

Answer 15

Switching off the expression of a gene or a group of genes in response to a chemical or other stimulus

Question 16

What is positive transcriptional control?

Answer 16

Promotion of transcription initiation

Question 17

What is negative transcriptional control?

Answer 17

Repression of transcriptional initiation

Question 18

What is Transcriptomics?

Answer 18

The techniques used to study an organism’s transcriptome

Question 19

What is a transcriptome?

Answer 19

All RNA molecules in a cell, or a population of cells

Question 20

What is a virus?

Answer 20

An infections, obligate intracellular entity comprising genetic material (DNA or RNA) surrounded by a protein coat and sometimes an envelope.

Question 21

Where can viruses replicate?

Answer 21

Viruses can only replicate in the living cells of a host

Question 22

What is a Virion?

Answer 22

An entire virus particle , it is the extracellular form of a virus (e.g. a carrier)

Question 23

What does a virion consist of?

Answer 23

Outer protein shell called a Capsid.

Inner core of nucleic acid (RNA or DNA)

Question 24

Virus capsids are always symmetrical, what are the two primary shapes of a capsid?

Answer 24

Spherical

Rod-like (helical)

Question 25

What is the Baltimore classification?

Answer 25

System that groups viruses into families, depending on their type of genome and their method of replication

Question 26

What is a virus envelope?

Answer 26

A lipid bilayer than contains virus proteins important for infecting other cells

Question 27

What are the general steps of virus replication?

Answer 27

``` Attachment Entry Synthesis Assembly Release ```

Question 28

What is a Bacteriophage?

Answer 28

A virus that targets bacteria

Question 29

What is the purpose of a Cell Membrane?

Answer 29

Subdivision of compartments Prevents cytoplasmic leakage Selective transport of molecules

Question 30

What is the purpose of a Cell Wall?

Answer 30

Protection from osmotic stress Maintenance of shape Structural support

Question 31

What do cell walls and cell membranes achieve together?

Answer 31

Separating self from non-self

Question 32

What can membrane strengthening achieve?

Answer 32

Enables organisms to survive environmental stresses by reinforcing the membrane

Question 33

What can be used to reinforce the cell membrane in eukaryotes?

Answer 33

Cholesterol

Question 34

What can be used to reinforce the cell membrane in prokaryotes?

Answer 34

Hopene

Question 35

Where can integral membrane proteins be found?

Answer 35

Embedded within the lipid bilayer

Question 36

Where can peripheral membranes be found?

Answer 36

Located on either surface of the bilayer

Question 37

What does a Gram Positive cell wall contain

Answer 37

Peptidoglycan | Cytoplasmic

Question 38

What does a Gram Negative cell wall contain?

Answer 38

Peptidoglycan Cytoplasmic membrane Outer membrane

Question 39

Name some surface appendages found on cells

Answer 39

Flagella | Fimbriae

Question 40

What is an anabolic pathway?

Answer 40

Energy consuming or biosynthetic pathway

Question 41

What is a catabolic pathway?

Answer 41

Energy releasing or degradative pathway

Question 42

What are the energy sources for metabolism?

Answer 42

Chemotrophy | Phototrophy

Question 43

What is a Chemolithotroph?

Answer 43

The obtain their energy from oxidation of compounds such as sulphide/ammonia. Use CO2 as a carbon source. Autotroph

Question 44

What is a Phototroph?

Answer 44

Use plant-like photosynthesis. Produce and release oxygen. Autotroph

Question 45

What is a Chemoorganotroph?

Answer 45

Energy from organic compounds such as glucose. Uses sugars, fats and proteins as carbon source. Heterotroph

Question 46

What is the final electron acceptor in the electron transport chain in Aerobic Respiration?

Answer 46

Oxygen

Question 47

What is the final electron acceptor in the electron transport chain in Anaerobic respiration?

Answer 47

Exogenous acceptors such as NO3, SO4, CO2 or Fe

Question 48

What is a selective media?

Answer 48

Is used to grow and isolate a specific type of microorganism by suppressing the growth of other microorganisms

Question 49

What is a differential media?

Answer 49

Is used to visually distinguish microorganisms from one another

Question 50

Name some molecular diagnostic tests

Answer 50

PCR Real-time-quantitative PCR Sequencing Ribosomal RNA genes Whole genome sequencing