Lecture Exam 4 Flashcards
(138 cards)
Mutualism
A reciprocal benefit accrues to both partners
What’s an example of a mutalistic relationship?
Buchnera sphidicola and aphids
Buchnera aphidicola
- Gram negative
- 617 kb genome
- Lives in the aphid
- Inside aphid cells -> bacteriocytes (mycetocyte)
- Transmitted vertically from mother to daughter
- Obligate mutualists
What does the aphid do for Buchnera?
The two have evolved together for millions of year
- ~75% of the Buchnera genome has been lost
- Asphid provides Buchnera with amino acids that Buchnera cannot make
What does Buchnera do for the aphid?
“gnotobiotic” aphids (gnotobiotics = germ free)
- Grow normally provided a diet supplemented with amino acids
- Aphids cannot make Trp. Buchnera must synthesize & provide Trp for the aphid
For the Trp operon what does it mean if there are low tryprophan levels?
transcription of the entire trp operon occurs
What happens to the trp operon if there are high tryptophan levels?
Repression occurs
- tryptophan binds, corepressor-repressor form active complex
- corepressor-repressor bind to operator and block transcription
Attenuation
Attenuation (in genetics) is a proposed mechanism of control in some bacterial operons which results in premature termination of transcription and which is based on the fact that, in bacteria, transcription and translation proceed simultaneously
Attenuation
What happens if Region 2 of the RNA pairs with Region 3 of the RNA?
- Nonterminating stem loop
- Transcription continues
thisis when trp is low so regions 2 and 3 on RNA will form together and create a raodblock so the ribosome is stuck on the operon and trascribes a ton of trp
Attenuation
What happens if Region 3 of the RNA pairs with Region 4 of the RNA?
- Terminating stem loop forms
- Transcription terminates
when there is enough Trp, the 2-3 roadblock is removed and the 3-4 pairing is formed, allowing the ribosome to move forward past the operon and hit the termination.
Cooperation
A reciprocal benefit accrues to both partners
canbe interspecific - btw two of the same species
Commensalism
one symbiont (the commensal) benefits while the other (host) isn’t harmed or helped
Example of commensalism
Staphylococcus epidermidis
- commonly found growing on skin
- Consumes human waste (oils, water, salts, dead skin cells) while normally having no impact on human health
Predation
one organism preys on another
Example of predation
Bdellovibrio
* Gram negative bacteria that preys on other Gram negative bacteria
* Enters the prey’s periplasmic space and feeds on the cytoplasmic contents
Parasitism
the parasite benefits while the host is usually harmed. Does not want to kill the host.
Amensalism
The adverse effect that one organism has on another
- unidirectional
Example of amensalism
*Streptomuces spp. *(penicillin)
* Produces many different antibiotics
* therefore they are studied heavily in the hunt for novel therapeutics
lots of this occurs in our gut
Competition
Two organisms try to acquire the same recource (location or nutrient)
* One outcompetes the other for the site’s resources
* Both coexist at lower levels, becuase they share the limiting resource
How many organisms make up the human microbiota?
- The human body contains ~10^13 human cells and ~ten times more microbial cells
- the mouth has 10^10 so .01% total
- the small and large intestine have 10^14 so 99% total
- the skin has 10^12 so 1% total
- the stomach has the least microbes becuase the stomach is highly acidic
Biofilm
- Biofilm: slime-encased aggregation of bacteria
- Composed of polysaccharide, protein, and extracellular DNA
*Staphylococcus aureus *biofilm formation
- Attachment, Multiplication, Exodus, Maturation
- Cells attach to a surface
- The cells multiply to a confluent “lawn” of cells on the surface
- An “exodus” phase occurs and some cells leave
- Biofilm then matures into towers of cells
Human microbiota
Not only provides nutrients for the host
- the human microbiota also protects teh body from invasion of harmful bacteria
Pathogen
any disease producing microorganism