Metabolic reactions help to maintain a state of balance or equilibrium in the cell. And the energy released during these processes is used by the cell for growth and other cellular activities. The growth of microorganisms requires the polymerization of building blocks (e.g. amino acids and nucleotides) into proteins, lipids, carbohydrates and nucleic acids. These […]
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Microbial Physiology & Metabolism
Metabolismis simply defined as the summation of the chemical reactions that occurs in the cell at each point in time. It is the processes of catabolism (i.e. breaking down of molecules) and anabolism (i.e. the building up of newer molecules) that occur in the cell. Metabolism is critical for the management of an organism’s energy
Macromolecules are large biological molecules that are made up of repeating smaller biological units generally known as monomers. They are polymers of high molecular weight that are biologically and chemically assembled from simpler precursors (i.e. monomers). The monomers are the foundational constituents of macromolecules; and these smaller biological units are usually held together by strong
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Microbial Physiology & Metabolism
Meiosis unlike mitosis is the type of cell division that occurs during the formation of gamete cells (e.g. spermatozoa and ova). It only occurs in reproductive cells; and meiosis results in the formation of a diploid cell that gives rise to four haploid cells, with each having a single set of chromosomes. Diploid cells are
Cell division is simply defined as the general way in which a microbial cell or a living organism (the parent cell in this case) reproduces itself in order to generate new offspring. It is the process in which parent or mother cells share their genetic materials (or DNA) with their progeny; and in some cases
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Microbial Physiology & Metabolism
Spores are the resistant inactive structures formed by some prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. Spore formation is a unique characteristic of bacteria and fungi. They are formed by bacteria especially the Gram-positive organisms when their environmental becomes too harsh for survival such as the loss of nutrients or food scarcity in their normal habitat. In such
Flagella (singular: flagellum) are the organelles of locomotion or movement in prokaryotic cells. Microbial motility is a key feature for motile bacteria, and this characteristic allows organisms to move from one location to another in search of food or away from potential attacks in their normal habitat. Flagella are thread-like slender-looking and rigid structures that
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Microbial Physiology & Metabolism
Capsules are extracellular polysaccharide (ESP) molecules secreted by bacteria, and which are normally found outside the cell wall of the microbial cell. They are densed and well-defined layers that surround bacterial cells and confer on them some benefits such as resistance to unfavorable conditions (Figure 1). Capsules perform several biological functions in bacteria. Some of
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Microbial Physiology & Metabolism
Transpeptidation reaction is the chemical reaction that forms the peptide cross-links or bonds during the synthesis of peptidoglycan (murein) in a bacterial cell wall. Peptidoglycan or murein is a polysaccharide molecule that consists mainly of alternating repeats of N-acetylglusamine (NAG) and N-acetylmuramic acid (NAM). Murein is a bacterial cell wall polymer that contains short peptide
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Microbial Physiology & Metabolism
Cell wall is a layer that is present outside the plasma or cytoplasmic membrane of a prokaryotic cell. It is present in both Gram-positive bacteria (Figure 1) and Gram-negative bacteria (2) even though some bacteria (e.g. Mycoplasmas) are wall-less i.e. they do not possess cell wall. Wall-less bacteria do not react to the Gram stain
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Microbial Physiology & Metabolism