Bacteria
Bacteria
Bacteria
A. UNICELLULAR BACTERIA
The unicellular forms may be spherical (coccus), rod-
shaped(bacillus), curved(vibrio) or spiral (spirillum). The stalked
bacteria and budding bacteria are also single celled.
Budding bacteria
B. MYCELIAL BACTERIA (ACTINOMYCETES)
For a long time, the Actinomycetes were included
under fungi but after the elucidation of their
prokaryotic cell structure, they were shifted to
bacteria. Compared to fungi, the filament is very
thin. Actinomycetes are present in the soil and are
the most important source of antibiotics. They form
asexual reproductive bodies. Conidia and
sporangiophores and also multiply by fragmentation.
Actinomycetes
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CLASSIFICATION BASED ON FLAGELLATION:
• Monotrichous -> single flagellum on one side
• Lophotrichous -> a tuft of flagella on one end
• Amphitrichous -> tuft of flagella on both ends
• Peritrichous -> flagella all over the cell
• Atrichous -> no flagella; non-mobile (coccal forms)
BACTERIAL CELL:
The bacterial cells are surrounded by a wall made
up of mucopeptide which is peculiar to bacteria.
Its amount varies in the cell walls of the two main
divisions of bacteria i.e., Gram +ve and Gram -ve.
In Gram +ve bacteria, it is the major cell wall
component (80%). However, in Gram -ve bacteria
it is present in small quantity, the major portion
being formed by lipoprotein and lipo
polysaccharide. In some bacteria, the cell wall is
surrounded by polysaccharide in the form of a
definite layer called capsule. When the
polysaccharide is more fluid in consistency, it
forms a loose mass of slime surrounding the wall.
Motile bacteria have flagella whose number and
position vary. Bacterial flagella are made up of
flagellin molecules. The pili which are minute hair
like superficial appendages all over the surface of
the bacterial cell. These pili are proteinaceous and
are helpful in holding the cells together during
conjugation. Inner to the cell wall is the cell
membrane which is lipo-proteinaceous. The
membrane shows invaginations at certain regions.
These invaginations are rich in respiratory enzymes
and are called the mesosomes. Mesosomes are the
‘power house’ of bacterial cells as mitochondria are
absent. In the centre of the bacterial cell is the
genetic material in the form of a long circular DNA
(incipient nucleus).
In the cytoplasm are reserve food materials like
glycogen and oil droplets, vacuoles, RNA, 70S
ribosomes, lamellae with pigments (in photosynthetic
bacteria), polysomes, cell organelles which lack proper
organization and are not double membrane bound.
The flagella and pili form the surface appendages and
capsule and slime forms the surface adherents.
FLAGELLA: