Chapter 1
-microbes generate the very air we breath (nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide)
-microbe: a living organism that requires a microscope to be seen. (range in size from mm-0.2 micrometers)
- each microbe contains in its genome the capacity to reproduce its own kind
- some can be seen by the naked eye
- some form complex multicellular assemblages
-virus: consits of noncellular particle containing genetic material that takes over the metabolism of a cell to generate more virus particles.
-are considered microbes, but are not fully functional cells
-prokaryotes: cells lacking a nucleus
-eukaryotes: cells with a nucleus
-genome: the total genetic information contained in an organisms chromosomal DNA
-helps determine how a microbe grows and associates
Chapter 3.1
-fundamental traits of prokaryotes:
- thick complex outer envelope
- protects cell from environmental stress/predators
- mediates communication and exchange
- compact genome
- small genomes maximize cell production from limited resources
- tightly coordinated cell functions
- enables high reproduction rate
-microbial eukaryotes:
- extend over a full size: range encompassed by prokaryotes in addition to reaching much larger sizes
- thick outer covering
- contain subcellular organelles with membranes that are more extensive than prokaryotes
-all cells share common chemical compounds:
- water
- essential ions (potassium, magnesium, chloride ions)
- small organic molecules (lipids, sugars)
- macromolecules (nucleic acid, proteins)
-the model bacterial cell contains a highly ordered cytoplasm in which DNA replications, RNA transcriptions, and protein synthesis occur coordiantely
-the biochemical composition of bacteria includes relatively high nucleic acid content, as well as proteins, phospholipids, and other inorganic and organic constituents
-proteins in the cell very depending on the species and environmental conditions
Chapter 6.1
-viruses: consist of noncellular particles that infect a host cell and direct its expression apparatus to produce more viruses
-viron: a capsid enclosing a nucleic acid genome
-all classes of organisms are infected by viruses
-viruses contain infective genomes that take over a cell reprograming its cell machinery to make progeny virus particles (virons)
-viroids that infect plants consist of RNA hairpins with no capsid
-prions: infectious proteins that induce a cells native proteins to fold incorrectly and impair cell function
