Exam 1 New Flashcards
(126 cards)
eukaryotes
protists, algae, fungi
structural characteristics of bacteria
- no organelles
- no nucleus, instead have nucleoid (no membrane)
- peptidogylcan in cell wall
- 70s ribosome (50s + 30s)
- much smaller than eukaryotes (~1 micro meter long)
prokaryotes
bacteria, archea
what do bacteria do?
-They consume and grow
Organism of the week: Vibrio fischeri
Marine bacterium, squid symbiont, luciferase (enzyme), produces light only at high cell density, “quorum sensing”
4 requirements for microscopy
- magnification: relative increase in size
- resolution: the ability to distinguish two points that are close together
- light quality: sets limit of resolution
- contrast: the ability to detect objects against a background
phase contrast microscopy
uses a trick of light (interference) to generate contrast
-no staining necessary
fluorescence microscopy
- light does not pass through specimen
- light excites fluorescent molecules which then emit light themselves
Green fluorescent protein (GFP)
-Aqueoria victoria (jellyfish)
Fluorescence vs. luminescence
Fluorescence: emits light after photoexcitation (ex. GFP)
Luminescence: produces light by chemical reaction–no light source (ex. luciferase)
Resolution is ultimately limited by light quality
the lower the wavelength, the higher the resolution
two types of electron microscope
- transmission
- scanning
scanning electron microscopy
high resolution but cells are stained and dead
Transmission electron microscopy
- cells stained and dead
- takes long time to prepare sample
- looks like a sliced cell
Electron cryotomography
- freeze sample in ice
- take pictures as you tilt the stage
- recombine images in 3-dimensions
- cells are still alive!
Atomic force microscopy
- does not use light!
- and ultra fine probe taps over objects
- cells can be alive
Species
-an interbreeding population that is reproductively isolated
Classification strategies for bacteria
- numerical taxonomy (traits)
- DNA-DNA hybridization (genome comparison)
- phylogenetics (molecular chonometer)
- polyphasic approaches (combinations)
- naming by disease
Numerical taxonomy
Naming bacteria based on traits. Order is based on a similarity coefficient. The disadvantages are that trait choice is arbitrary, all traits are weighted equally, traits vary in complexity, traits aren’t necessarily related to each other.
DNA-DNA hybridization
Entire genomes are compared, >70% is the same species. It’s the only formal definition of bacterial species, however, it’s technically cumbersome and only very close comparisons work.
phylogenetics
`Sequences of a molecular chronometer is compared. Organisms with fewer changes in sequences are more closely related. Molecular chronometers must be found in all representatives, have the same function, have sufficient similarities, and also sufficient differences.
molecular chronometers
must be the following criteria:
- found in all representatives of the group studied
- function must be same in all representatives
- sufficient similarity between molecules so that the sequences can be alligned
- sufficient differences such that each sequence has its own signature
-ex. 16S rRNA (nucleic acid) all molecules have this
polyphasic approach
A combination in which 16s rRNA is sequenced and compared to a database to find the closest relative. Physiological traits are then compared to the closest “type strain.” The genome is then compared to the type strain to determine if it’s the same or different species.
wild type vs. type strain
Wild type: we think of them having no mutations
type strain: lab mutated species we look at in lab, and compare it back to the wild type