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    The Five Major Groups of Microbes: Additional Resource

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    The Five Major Groups of Microbes: Additional Resource

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    Aldina
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    The_five_major_groups_of_microbes_ADDITIONAL_RESOURCE

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    37 views2 pages

    The Five Major Groups of Microbes: Additional Resource

    Uploaded by

    Aldina

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Download as pdf or txt
    of 2

    Small and Mighty: Introduction to

    Microbiology

    THE FIVE MAJOR


    GROUPS OF MICROBES
    Additional Resource
    The genome is a genetic ‘instruction manual’ that contains all of the information an organism needs to
    make more copies of itself. It is made up of a sequence of nucleotides (DNA in all cellular organisms;
    either DNA or RNA in viruses) that you can think of as letters in the instruction manual. The genome
    contains multiple short sub-sections called genes, which the cell converts (“transcribes”) into short RNA
    molecules called messenger RNA (mRNA) and non-coding RNA (ncRNA). ncRNA has a particular cellular
    function, but mRNA is read (“translated”) by the ribosomes to make a specific protein.

    Figure 1: ©Thomas Shafee [CC BY 4.0]


    Some of these proteins are enzymes that drive chemical reactions within the cell, to harness the energy
    and make the building blocks it needs to grow and reproduce. Other proteins are important structural
    components of the cell. Transport proteins in the membrane move nutrients from the surrounding
    environment into the cell for growth and respiration, and they also help get rid of toxic waste products
    (excretion). Some proteins are produced constantly, whilst others are only produced at a specific stage
    in the replication cycle, or in response to a change in the environment (sensitivity).

    ©University of Reading 2018 Sunday 30 September 2018 Page 1


    Some of the key differences between the five groups of microbes

    Feature Prokaryotes Eukaryotes Viruses


    Bacteria Archaea Unicellular Unicellular
    protists fungi
    Size Typically Typically Variable Variable Typically
    0.2 – 5 µm 0.2 – 5 µm 10 - 100 µm 10 - 100 µm 20 – 200
    nm
    Giant
    viruses up
    to 1 µm
    Genome 0.13 – 14 Mb 0.5 – 5.7 Mb Variable 8 – 15 Mb 3 Kb – 1.2
    size
    8 – 140 Mb Mb

    Genome Single circular Single circular Linear dsDNA Linear dsDNA Linear or
    dsDNA dsDNA chromosomes chromosomes circular
    chromosome chromosome ssDNA,
    May also have May also have dsDNA,
    circular circular ssRNA or
    dsDNA dsDNA dsRNA
    plasmids plasmids
    Nucleus - - + + -
    Membrane-
    bound - - + + -
    organelles
    Size of 70S 70S 80S 80S -
    ribosomes
    use host
    ribosomes
    to make
    virus
    proteins
    Cell walls Contain Lack Some contain Contain chitin -
    peptidoglycan peptidoglycan cellulose
    Cell Ester-linked Ether-linked Ester-linked Ester-linked May have
    membranes lipids lipids lipids lipids envelope
    derived
    from host
    membrane
    ds = double stranded, ss = single stranded, DNA = deoxyribonucleic acid, RNA = ribonucleic acid, Mb =
    mega bases (1,000,000 nucleotides); Kb = kilobases (1, 000 nucleotides)

    ©University of Reading 2018 Sunday 30 September 2018 Page 2

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