Microbial Cell

Zuhriyan Ash Shiddieqy Bahlawan, S.T., M.T.

Science that studies:
• all living organisms that are small (microscopic)
or less than 0.1 mm in diameter.
• Microscopic and submicroscopic bodies
Microorganism ….?

 Microorganisms: living things that are small

(microscopic), which have life forms and
distinctive characteristics that can be
distinguished from other organisms,
especially being able to live in various
habitats (cosmopolitan).
 psychrophiles mesophiles thermophiles

Psychrobacter adeliensis Listeria monocytogenes Chloroflexus aurantiacus

Psychrobacter aestuarii Staphylococcus aureus Deinococcus radiodurans

Psychrobacter alimentarius Escherichia coli Deinococcus–Thermus

Psychrobacter aquaticus Thermus aquaticus

aerobic anaerobic
Cell-Organism Size
A- Physical requirements

pH
Most bacteria prefer neutral pH (6.5-7.5). Molds and yeast
grow in wider pH range, but prefer pH between 5 and 6. 4
Acidity inhibits most microbial growth and is used frequently for
food preservation (e.g.: pickling).

Alkalinity inhibits microbial growth, but not commonly used for

food preservation.
Organisms can be classified as:

• A. Acidophiles : “Acid loving”. Grow at very low pH

(0.1 to 5.4) Lactobacillus produces lactic acid, tolerates mild
acidity.

• B. Neutrophiles : Grow at pH 5.4 to 8.5. Includes most

human pathogens.

• C. Alkaliphiles : “Alkali loving”. Grow at alkaline or high pH

(7 to 12 or higher) Vibrio cholera
 Osmotic Pressure :
Cells are formed of 80 to 90% water.
A. Hypertonic solutions: High osmotic pressure removes water

from cell, causing shrinkage of cell membrane (plasmolysis).

Used to control spoilage and microbial growth.
B. Hypotonic solutions: Low osmotic pressure causes water to

enter the cell. In most cases cell wall prevents excessive entry
of water. Microbe may lyse or burst if cell wall is weak
Chemical requirements of Mic. Growth
1- Carbon: Makes up 50% of dry weight of cell
2- Nitrogen, Sulfur, and Phosphorus:
A . Nitrogen: Makes up 14% of dry cell weight. Used to form amino acids,
DNA, and RNA
B. Sulfur: Used to form proteins and some vitamins (thiamin and biotin).
C. Phosphorus: Used to form DNA, RNA, ATP, and phospholipids.

3- Other Elements:
Potassium, magnesium, and calcium are often required as enzyme
cofactors.

4. Trace Elements:
. Many are used as enzyme cofactors. Commonly found in tap water. as
Iron , Copper & Zinc
• 5. Oxygen:
• Organisms that use molecular oxygen (O2 ), produce more energy from nutrients
than anaerobes. We can classify microorganism based on their oxygen requirements
to:
• A. Obligate Aerobes: Require oxygen to live. Disadvantage : Oxygen dissolves poorly

in water. Example: Pseudomonas, common nosocomial pathogen

• B. Facultative Anaerobes: Can use oxygen, but can grow in its absence. Have

complex set of enzymes. Examples: E. coli, Staphylococcus, yeasts, and many

intestinal bacteria.
• C. Obligate Anaerobes: Can not use oxygen and are harmed by the presence of

oxygen. Examples: Clostridium bacteria that cause tetanus and botulism.

• D .Aerotolerant Anaerobes:
• Can’t use oxygen, but tolerate its presence. Example: Lactobacillus carries out
fermentation regardless of oxygen presence.
• E. Microaerophiles: Require oxygen, but at low concentrations.. Example:
Campylobacter.
Culture media

• Culture Medium:

Nutrient material prepared for microbial growth in the laboratory. Requirements:

 Must be sterile

 Contain appropriate nutrients

 Must be incubated at appropriate temperature

Culture:
Microbes that grow and multiply in or on a culture medium
Phases of Mic.Growth
• 1. Lag Phase:

• Period of adjustment to new conditions.

• Little or no cell division occurs, population size doesn’t

increase.
• Phase of intense metabolic activity, in which individual

organisms grow in size.

• May last from one hour to several days.
• 2. Log Phase:

• Cells begin to divide and generation time reaches a constant minimum.

• Period of most rapid growth. Number of cells produced > Number of cells

dying

• Cells are at highest metabolic activity.

• Cells are most susceptible to adverse environmental factors at this stage as

radiation & antibiotics

• 3. Stationary Phase:

• Population size begins to stabilize. Number of cells produced = Number of cells dying

• Overall cell number does not increase.

• Cell division begins to slow down.

• Factors that slow down microbial growth:

• • Accumulation of toxic waste materials

• • Acidic pH of media

• • Limited nutrients

• • Insufficient oxygen supply

• 4. Death or Decline Phase:

• Population size begins to decrease. Number of cells dying > Number of

cells produced

• Cell number decreases at a logarithmic rate.

• Cells lose their ability to divide.

• A few cells may remain alive for a long period of time

Viruses

 Viruses are very small and are obligate parasites of other cells,
such as bacterial, yeast, plant, and animal cells. Viruses cannot
capture or store free energy and are not functionally active except
when inside their host cells.
 The sizes of viruses vary from 30 to 200 nanometers (nm).
 Contains DNA and RNA covered by a protein coat called a
capsid.
 Viruses infecting bacteria are called bacteriophages
Viruses are the cause of many diseases, and antiviral agents
are important targets for drug discovery. Additionally,
viruses are directly important to bioprocess technology.
Viruses attack E. Coli fermentation. to make a recombinant
protein product can be extremely destructive.
 But viruses also has advantage (recombinant dna
technology, Vaksin)
Procaryotes & Eucaryotes
 A prokaryote is a unicellular organism that lacks
a membrane bound nucleus, mitochondria, or any other
membrane-bound organelle.
 from the Greek πρό (pro) "before" and κάρυον (karyon)
nut or kernel.
 The sizes of most procaryotes vary from 0.5 to 3
micrometers (µm).
 Different species have different shapes, such as coccus,
spiral and bacillus.
Streptococcus pneumoniae Leptospira Bacillus weihenstephanensis
Neisseria gonorrhoeae  Borrelia Bacillus cereusthuringiensisanthracis
 Streptococcus pyogenes Treponema Bacillus pumilus
Staphylococcus aureus Bacillus subtilis
 Micrococcus sp Bacillus licheniformis
Eubacteria
 Eubacteria divided into several 2 groups.
Gram Positive & Gram Negative
 Gram positive cells remain purple, while gram negative cells
become colorless.
 Gram negative has a thicker membrane layer or double
layer.
Outer membrane (peptidoglycan), second membrane
(Cytoplasmic). And separate with periplasmic.
 the optimum pH for bacteris growth lies: 6.5 - 7.5.
Gram Positive
 Gram-positive cells do not have an outer membrane.
 Rather they have a very thick, rigid cell. Contains
peptidoglycan and teichoic acids.

Not Gram Positive and not gram

negative
 Some bacteria are not gram positive or gram negative.
 ex, Mycoplasma
Eucaryotes
 Fungi (yeasts and molds)
 algae
 protozoa
 animal and plant cells

Eucaryotes have a true nucleus and a number of cellular

Cell Division reproduction

Asexsual sexsual
The cell-division cycle is divided into
four phases
Fungi
 Fungi are heterotrophs that are widespread in nature.
Fungal cells are larger than bacterial cells, and their
typical internal structures, such as nucleus and vacuoles,
can be seen easily with a light microscope. Two major
groups of fungi are yeasts and molds.
Yeast
 widely distributed in nature (food, soil, in the air,
on the skin and in the intestines of animals)
 depend on higher plants and animals for their
energy
 Size: 1 to 5 m in width; 5 to 30 m in length
 The cell wall  quite thin in young cells but
thickens with age.
 Asexual reproduction
 Saccharomeces cerevisiae » wine, beer, leavening
of bread
Molds
 filamentous fungi and and have a mycelial
structure
 The typical size of a filamentous form of mold is 5
to 20 mm.
A single cell or spore (conidia) is germinated to
form a long thread, hyphae, which branches
repeatedly as it elongates to form a vegetative
structure called a mycelium. Since a mycelium is
capable of growing indefinitely, it can attain
macroscopic dimensions.
 Molds are used for the production of citric acid
(Aspergillus niger) and many antibiotics, such as
penicillin (Penicillium chrysogenum). Mold
fermentations make up a large fraction of the
fermentation industry.
Algae
 Algae are usually unicellular organisms. However, some
plantlike multicellular structures are present in marine
waters.
 Contain chloroplasts and can photosynthetic.
 The size of a typical unicellular alga is 10 to 30 mm.
Alga procaryotic

 Blue-green algae.
 Cyanobacteria.
 butare capable of direct photosynthesis because
they have chlorophyll.
algae eukaryotic
 Other types of algae have eukaryotic cell structures and are
able to photosynthesise, either with chlorophyll or with other
pigments that aid in energy assimilation.
 Chlorella, Scenedesmus, Spirullina, and Dunaliella,
 Some algae contain silica or calcium carbonate in their cell
wall.
 used for waste-water treatment with simultaneous single-cell
protein production.
Thank you