Pantherophis Guttatus • Common Names: Corn Snake, Red Rat Snake

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Pantherophis Guttatus • Common Names: Corn Snake, Red Rat Snake Organismal Biology Organism-of-the-week: Pantherophis guttatus Common names: corn snake, red rat snake, chicken snake, etc. Arboreal=tree dwelling Species= Pantherophis guttatus o Common name: corn snake o Rules for species: . Binomen= two name . First name= Genus Always capitalized Always underlined OR italicized Plural: Genera . Second name= Specific Epithet Not capitalized Always underlined OR italicized Genus= Pantherophis o Common name: rate snake o Plural: Genera Family= Colubridae o Non-venomous snakes o Family usually ends in –idae or –aceae Order= Squamata o All snakes and lizards o Suborder= serpentes . Just snakes . Suborders usually start with: Sub-, super-, Infra- Class=Reptilia o Common name: reptiles Phlyum= Chordata o Common name: vertebrates and other chordates o Plural: Phyla Kingdom= Animalia o Common name: animals Biology= Study of life Bi= two o Plants and animals -ology= the study of Biodiversity= study of how organisms are different Survey Cladistics= common ancestry is the primary criterion used to classify organisms Clades= groups that contain an ancestral species and all of its descendents o Equal to a monophyletic group Monophyletic= single ancestor o Holophyletic= all descendents of the single ancestor o Paraphyletic= some but not all of descendents of the single ancestor o Monophylogeny is what we strive for Polyphyletic= more than one ancestor o (Not good) Plesiomorphic= around for a long time o Ancestral Apomorphic= newly evolved characteristic o Derived Symplesiomorphic= shared ancestral characteristic Synapomorphic= shared derived characteristics o This is what scientists want to avoid polyphyletic groups Autapomorphic= single unshared characteristic Systematics Taxonomy= the naming and classification of organisms o Taxon: the named taxonomic unit at any level of the hierarchy Example= snake Plural: taxa o Taxonomic revisions—why? (1) New information Molecular vs morphological Similarities among organisms o Analogous= common environment . having characteristics that are similar because of convergent evolution . Not ancestral traits . Not used for classification o Homologous= come from same ancestors . Similar in characteristics resulting from a shared ancestry . Used for classification . Ancestral traits . What scientists want! (2)Different philosophy Dendogram (phylogram): family tree (3)Change: just because someone feels like changing it Phlogeny= evolutional history (natural selection) Classification= way of categorizing organisms Survey: 3 Domains, 6 Kingdoms, 35-40 Phyla Domains: Eukarya- True nucleus Archae- no nucleus or other membrane organelles Bacteria- no nucleus or other membrane organelles Eukarya: Kingdoms o Animalia . Movement . Cell membrane o Plantae . Cell wall . Autotrophic o Fungi . Cell wall . Almost no movement . Heterotrophs o Protista . Difficult to explain . Variety Prokaryotes= Bacteria and Archae Not an official taxon The grouping of bacteria and archae as prokaryotes is incorrect because archaea is more related to eukarya than it is to bacteria Diversity o 2 domains o 2+ kingdoms Size o Small o Most are 1-5 m (micrometer) Shape o ⃝ –coccus . Plural: cocci . Spherical in shape o Oval shaped –bacillus . Plural: bacilli o ~~-- Spirilla . Plural: spirillae o Solitary vs colonial . Solitary= found alone . Colonial= found in groups Strepto- o OOOOOOO o One line Staphylo- o Clusters Cell Wall o Present in most o Has a different chemistry than the one animals have o Variable . Example: Gram Stain A staining method that distinguishes between two different kinds of bacterial cell wall Used to look at cell wall Positive/negative o Gram negative= describing the group of bacteria that have a cell wall that is structurally MORE complex and contains LESS peptidoglycan than the cell wall of a gram-positive bacteria. Gram negative bacteria are often more toxic than gram positive bacteria. o Gram positive= describing the group of bacteria that have a cell wall that is structurally LESS complex and contains MORE peptidoglycan than the cell wall of a gram-negative bacteria. Less toxic than gram-negative o Peptidoglycan is a type of polymer in bacterial cell walls consisting of modified sugars cross-linked by short polypeptides o Capsule . Fimbria Plural: fimbriae A short, hairlike appendage of a prokaryotic cell that helps it adhere to the substrate or to other cells o a substrate is the surface on which a plant or animal live Thinner and shorter than flagellum . Pilus Plural: pili In bacteria, a structure that links one cell to another at the start of conjugation, also called a sex pilus or conjugation pilus o Conjugation is the direct transfer of DNA from one bacterial cell to another bacterial cell AKA “sex” pilus Motility o Flagellum . A long cellular appendage specialized for locomotion . There are different types . Plural: flagella o Taxis= an oriented movement toward or away from a stimulus . Phototaxis- move toward or away from light . Chemotaxis- move toward or away from a chemical Genome o Nucleoid= a non-membrane enclosed region in a prokaryotic cell where its chromosome is located o Ring shaped DNA o Plasmids= a small circular double-stranded DNA molecule that carries accessory genes separate from those of a bacterial chromosome. Reproduction o Asexual reproduction . No meiosis . The generation of offspring from a single parent that occurs without the fusion of gametes. In most cases, the offspring are genetically identical to the parent o Binary fission . Splits two ways . A method of asexual reproduction by “division in half”. In prokaryotes binary fission does not involve mitosis (but it does in eukaryotes) . Usually pretty rapid, but time varies o Budding o Endospores= a thick-coated, resistant cell produced by some bacterial cells when they are exposed to harsh conditions . Very resistant . Dormancy and dispersal Nutritional Mode o Heterotrophic= heterotrophs are organisms that obtain organic food molecules by eating other organisms or substances derived from them . Decomposers= an organism that absorbs nutrients from nonliving organic material such as corpses, fallen plant material, and the wastes of living organisms and converts them to inorganic forms; aka a detritivore . Pathogenic- causes disease o Autotrophic= autotrophs are organisms that obtain organic food molecules without eating other organisms or substances derived from other organisms. They use energy from the sun or from oxidation of inorganic substances to make organic molecules from inorganic ones. Photoautotrophic= capable of synthesizing their own food from inorganic substances (carbon dioxide) using light as an energy source . Chemoautotrophic= an organism, typically a bacterium, that derives energy from the oxidation of inorganic compounds o Photoheterotrophs= organisms that use light for energy (ATP), but cannot use carbon dioxide as their sole carbon source. They must obtain carbon in organic form. Oxygen Relationships o Aerobic= with oxygen o Anaerobic= without oxygen o Facultative= can use oxygen, but can survive without it o Strict= obligate= cannot survive with oxygen OR cannot survive without oxygen Ecological Relationships o Free-living= do not depend on another organism for survival o Pathogen= depends on another organism for survival . An organism or virus that causes disease o Symbiont= provides a benefit for the organism . The smaller participant in the symbiotic relationship, living in or on the host o Free-living heterotrophs= decomposers o Biofilms= surface coating colony of one or more species of prokaryotes that engage in metabolic cooperation . Lives on surfaces of water, etc. Community . Combination of species . Waste products used by the community Organism-of-the-week: Species: Nostoc commune o Common name: star jelly, mare’s eggs, witch’s butter, monster boogers Genus: Nostoc Family: Nostocaceae Order: Nostocales Class: Cyanophyceae Phylum: Cyanobacteria Kingdom: Eubacteria Domain: Bacteria Characteristics: o Cosmopolitan= worldwide o N-fixation= the conversion of atmospheric nitrogen (N2) to ammonia (NH3) . N2NH3 o Desiccation resistant . Dormancy o Photosynthesis o colonial Domain Archae 1-4+ Kingdoms Kingdom Archaebacteria o Gram negative . Lack peptidoglycans Extremophiles o Love extreme conditions o Thermophiles= love extreme temperatures o Halophiles= love salty conditions Methanogens o Produces methane (CH4) as a waste productfossil fuel o Anaerobic Non-extreme archaea Domain Bacteria 1-200+ kingdoms Kingdom Eubacteria o Contains most of the familiar bacteria o Phylum Cyanobacteria . Performs photosynthesis . Internal membrane Looks like chloroplasts . Serial endosymbiotic hypothesis of Eukaryotic organelle origin A hypothesis for the origin of eukaryotes consisting of a sequence of endosymbiotic events in which mitochondria, chloroplasts, and perhaps other cellular structures were derived from small prokaryotes that had been engulfed by larger cells. Endosymbiosis= a relationship between two species in which one organism lives inside the cell or cells of another organism o Proteobacteria . Gram negative largest group . Escherischia Coli E. Coli Coliformin colon Gut flora Pathogenic strains o Alphaproteobacteria . Purple-green . Inner membrane looks like mitochondria (ring-shaped DNA) o Spirochaetes . Spirilla shape many pathogens o Gram Positive Groups: . Chlamydias all are animal diseases . Mycoplasmas Smallest of all bacteria No cell wall Ex: walking pneumonia Domain Eukarya
Recommended publications
  • The Diatoms Big Significance of Tiny Glass Houses
    GENERAL ¨ ARTICLE The Diatoms Big Significance of Tiny Glass Houses Aditi Kale and Balasubramanian Karthick Diatoms are unique microscopic algae having intricate cell walls made up of silica. They are the major phytoplankton in aquatic ecosystems and account for 20–25% of the oxygen release and carbon fixation in the world. Their most charac- teristic features are mechanisms they have evolved to utilize silica. Due to their distinctive adaptations and ecology, they (left) Aditi Kale is a PhD student with the are used in various fields like biomonitoring, paleoecology, Biodiversity and nanotechnology and forensics. Paleobiology group of Agharkar Research Introduction Institute. She is studying the biogeography of Diatoms (Class: Bacillariophyceae) are unique microscopic al- freshwater diatoms in gae containing silica and having distinct geometrical shapes. Western Ghats for her They are unicellular, eukaryotic and photosynthetic organisms. thesis. Their cell size ranges between 5 µm–0.5 mm. They occur in wet (right) Balasubramanian or moist places where photosynthesis is possible. Diatoms are Karthick is Scientist with Biodiversity and either planktonic (free-floating) or benthic (attached to a substra- Paleobiology group of tum) in Nature (Figure 1). The individuals are solitary or some- Agharkar Research times form colonies. Diatoms are mostly non-motile; however, Institute. His interests some benthic diatoms have a specialized raphe system1 that include diatom taxonomy and ecology, microbial secretes mucilage to attach or glide along a surface. They are also biogeography,andaquatic known to form biofilms, i. e., layers of tightly attached cells of ecology. microorganisms. Biofilms are formed on a solid surface and are often surrounded by extra-cellular fluids.
    [Show full text]
  • Resource Selection by an Ectothermic Predator in a Dynamic Thermal Landscape
    Received: 2 May 2017 | Revised: 16 August 2017 | Accepted: 17 August 2017 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3440 ORIGINAL RESEARCH Resource selection by an ectothermic predator in a dynamic thermal landscape Andrew D. George1 | Grant M. Connette2 | Frank R. Thompson III3 | John Faaborg1 1Division of Biological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA Abstract 2Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Predicting the effects of global climate change on species interactions has remained Front Royal, VA, USA difficult because there is a spatiotemporal mismatch between regional climate models 3U.S.D.A. Forest Service Northern Research and microclimates experienced by organisms. We evaluated resource selection in a Station, Columbia, MO, USA predominant ectothermic predator using a modeling approach that permitted us to Correspondence assess the importance of habitat structure and local real- time air temperatures within Andrew D. George, Department of Biology, Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, KS USA. the same modeling framework. We radio- tracked 53 western ratsnakes (Pantherophis Email: [email protected] obsoletus) from 2010 to 2013 in central Missouri, USA, at study sites where this spe- cies has previously been linked to prey population demographics. We used Bayesian discrete choice models within an information theoretic framework to evaluate the sea- sonal effects of fine- scale vegetation structure and thermal conditions on ratsnake resource selection. Ratsnake resource selection was influenced most by canopy cover, canopy cover heterogeneity, understory cover, and air temperature heterogeneity. Ratsnakes generally preferred habitats with greater canopy heterogeneity early in the active season, and greater temperature heterogeneity later in the season. This sea- sonal shift potentially reflects differences in resource requirements and thermoregula- tion behavior.
    [Show full text]
  • Structural and Functional Characterization of the Fimh Adhesin of Uropathogenic Escherichia Coli and Its Novel Applications
    Open Access Journal of Bacteriology and Mycology Research Article Structural and Functional Characterization of the FimH Adhesin of Uropathogenic Escherichia coli and Its Novel Applications Neamati F1, Moniri R2*, Khorshidi A1 and Saffari M1 Abstract 1Department of Microbiology and Immunology, School Type 1 fimbriae are responsible for bacterial pathogenicity and biofilm of Medicine, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, production, which are important virulence factors in uropathogenic Escherichia Kashan, Iran coli strains. Many articles are published on FimH, but each examined a specific 2Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, aspect of this protein. The current review study aimed at focusing on structure Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Qutb Ravandi and conformational changes and describing efforts to use this protein in novel Boulevard, Kashan, Iran potential treatments for urinary tract infections, typing methods, and expression *Corresponding author: Moniri R, Department of systems. The current study was the first review that briefly and effectively Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Kashan University of examined issues related to FimH adhesin. Medical Sciences, Qutb Ravandi Boulevard, Kashan, Iran Keywords: Uropathogenic E. coli; FimH Adhesion; FimH Typing; Received: June 05, 2020; Accepted: July 03, 2020; Conformation Switch; FimH Antagonists Published: July 10, 2020 Abbreviations FimH proteins play important roles in UPEC pathogenicity and the formation of bacterial biofilms [7]. FimH binds to mannosylated UTIs: Urinary Tract Infections; UPEC: Uropathogenic E. uroplakin proteins in the bladder lumen and invades into the Coli; IBCs: Intracellular Bacterial Communities; QIR: Quiescent superficial umbrella cells [8]. After the invasion, UPEC is expelled out Intracellular Reservoir; LD: Mannose-Binding Lectin; PD: Fimbria- of the cell in a TLR4 dependent process, or escape into the cytoplasm Incorporating Pilin; MBP: Mannose-Binding Pocket; LIBS: Ligand- [9].
    [Show full text]
  • Identification of Type 3 Fimbriae in Uropathogenic Escherichia Coli
    JOURNAL OF BACTERIOLOGY, Feb. 2008, p. 1054–1063 Vol. 190, No. 3 0021-9193/08/$08.00ϩ0 doi:10.1128/JB.01523-07 Copyright © 2008, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved. Identification of Type 3 Fimbriae in Uropathogenic Escherichia coli Reveals a Role in Biofilm Formationᰔ Cheryl-Lynn Y. Ong,1 Glen C. Ulett,1 Amanda N. Mabbett,1 Scott A. Beatson,1 Richard I. Webb,2 Wayne Monaghan,3 Graeme R. Nimmo,3 David F. Looke,4 1 1 Alastair G. McEwan, and Mark A. Schembri * Downloaded from School of Molecular and Microbial Sciences1 and Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis,2 University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, and Queensland Health Pathology Service3 and Infection Management Services, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Brisbane, Australia4 Received 21 September 2007/Accepted 17 November 2007 Catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI) is the most common nosocomial infection in the United States. Uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC), the most common cause of CAUTI, can form biofilms on indwelling catheters. Here, we identify and characterize novel factors that affect biofilm formation by UPEC http://jb.asm.org/ strains that cause CAUTI. Sixty-five CAUTI UPEC isolates were characterized for phenotypic markers of urovirulence, including agglutination and biofilm formation. One isolate, E. coli MS2027, was uniquely proficient at biofilm growth despite the absence of adhesins known to promote this phenotype. Mini-Tn5 mutagenesis of E. coli MS2027 identified several mutants with altered biofilm growth. Mutants containing insertions in genes involved in O antigen synthesis (rmlC and manB) and capsule synthesis (kpsM) possessed enhanced biofilm phenotypes. Three independent mutants deficient in biofilm growth contained an insertion in a gene locus homologous to the type 3 chaperone-usher class fimbrial genes of Klebsiella pneumoniae.
    [Show full text]
  • A Double, Long Polar Fimbria Mutant of Escherichia Coli O157:H7 Expresses Curli and Exhibits Reduced in Vivo Colonization
    A Double, Long Polar Fimbria Mutant of Escherichia coli O157:H7 Expresses Curli and Exhibits Reduced in Vivo Colonization The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Lloyd, Sonja J., Jennifer M. Ritchie, Maricarmen Rojas-Lopez, Carla A. Blumentritt, Vsevolod L. Popov, Jennifer L. Greenwich, Matthew K. Waldor, and Alfredo G. Torres. 2012. “A Double, Long Polar Fimbria Mutant of Escherichia Coli O157:H7 Expresses Curli and Exhibits ReducedIn VivoColonization.” Edited by S. M. Payne. Infection and Immunity 80 (3): 914–20. https://doi.org/10.1128/ iai.05945-11. Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:41483527 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA A Double, Long Polar Fimbria Mutant of Escherichia coli O157:H7 Expresses Curli and Exhibits Reduced In Vivo Colonization Sonja J. Lloyd,a Jennifer M. Ritchie,d* Maricarmen Rojas-Lopez,a Carla A. Blumentritt,a Vsevolod L. Popov,b Jennifer L. Greenwich,d Matthew K. Waldor,d and Alfredo G. Torresa,b,c Departments of Microbiology and Immunologya and Pathologyb and Sealy Center for Vaccine Development,c University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas, USA, and Channing Laboratory, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USAd Escherichia coli O157:H7 causes food and waterborne enteric infections that can result in hemorrhagic colitis and life- threatening hemolytic uremic syndrome.
    [Show full text]
  • New Records of Pantherophis Guttatus (Squamata: Colubridae) in the State of Bahia, an Alien Species to Brazil
    SALAMANDRA 50(4) 241–244 30 December 2014CorrespondenceISSN 0036–3375 Correspondence New records of Pantherophis guttatus (Squamata: Colubridae) in the state of Bahia, an alien species to Brazil Érica Fonseca1,2, Ricardo Marques1,2 & Moacir Santos Tinôco1,3 1) Universidade Católica do Salvador, SPPG-MPPA – Centro de Ecologia e Conservação Animal – ECOA. Avenida Prof. Pinto de Aguiar, 2589. CEP 41740-090. Pituaçu, Salvador, BA, Brazil 2) Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Zoologia. Rodovia Ilhéus–Itabuna, km 16, CP 110. CEP 45662-900. Ilhéus, BA, Brazil 3) University of Kent at Canterbury; DICE – Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology; School of Anthropology and Conservation. Marlowe Building, Kent, CT2 7NZ, UK Corresponding author: Érica Fonseca, e-mail: [email protected] Manuscript received: 7 September 2013 Accepted: 22 January 2014 by Dennis Rödder Introducing alien species to other habitats can lead to Herein we report on the detection of P. guttatus at different deleterious effects on economy, human health and local localities in the Brazilian state of Bahia. wildlife (Vasconcellos 2001, Sax et al. 2007, Dechoum We recorded two specimens of Pantherophis guttatus 2009). However, the impacts of alien snake species are in the state of Bahia. The first record was obtained during poorly known. Some native species suffer due to the in- a survey in the municipality of Camaçari (-12.766809° S, troduction of the Burmese pythons (Python bivittatus) to -38.187198° W) in 2001. The specimen was captured in a lo- Florida (Krysko et al. 2007, Engeman et al. 2011) and the cal grassland within the borders of a local protected area, introduction of the brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis) known as APA do Rio Capivara, at Arembepe, which lies that has long been affecting the populations of birds, mam- within an area of very high diversity in coastal Brazil – the mals, and lizards on the island of Guam (Pimentel et al.
    [Show full text]
  • Synthetic Morphogenesis
    Downloaded from http://cshperspectives.cshlp.org/ on September 24, 2021 - Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press Synthetic Morphogenesis Brian P. Teague, Patrick Guye, and Ron Weiss Synthetic Biology Center, Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 Correspondence: [email protected] Throughout biology, function is intimately linked with form. Across scales ranging from subcellular to multiorganismal, the identity and organization of a biological structure’s subunits dictate its properties. The field of molecular morphogenesis has traditionally been concerned with describing these links, decoding the molecular mechanisms that give rise to the shape and structure of cells, tissues, organs, and organisms. Recent advances in synthetic biology promise unprecedented control over these molecular mechanisms; this opens the path to not just probing morphogenesis but directing it. This review explores several frontiers in the nascent field of synthetic morphogenesis, including programmable tissues and organs, synthetic biomaterials and programmable matter, and engineering complex morphogenic systems de novo. We will discuss each frontier’s objectives, current approaches, constraints and challenges, and future potential. hat is the underlying basis of biological 2014). As the mechanistic underpinnings of Wstructure? Speculations were based on these processes are elucidated, opportunities macroscopic observation until the 17th century, arise to use this knowledge to direct mor- when Antonie van Leeuwenhoek and Robert phogenesis toward novel, useful ends. We call Hooke discovered that organisms were com- this emerging field of endeavor “synthetic mor- posed of microscopic cells (Harris 1999), and phogenesis.” Inspired by and based on natural that the size and shape of the cells affected the morphogenic systems, synthetic morphogenesis properties of the structures they formed.
    [Show full text]
  • Brown Algae and 4) the Oomycetes (Water Molds)
    Protista Classification Excavata The kingdom Protista (in the five kingdom system) contains mostly unicellular eukaryotes. This taxonomic grouping is polyphyletic and based only Alveolates on cellular structure and life styles not on any molecular evidence. Using molecular biology and detailed comparison of cell structure, scientists are now beginning to see evolutionary SAR Stramenopila history in the protists. The ongoing changes in the protest phylogeny are rapidly changing with each new piece of evidence. The following classification suggests 4 “supergroups” within the Rhizaria original Protista kingdom and the taxonomy is still being worked out. This lab is looking at one current hypothesis shown on the right. Some of the organisms are grouped together because Archaeplastida of very strong support and others are controversial. It is important to focus on the characteristics of each clade which explains why they are grouped together. This lab will only look at the groups that Amoebozoans were once included in the Protista kingdom and the other groups (higher plants, fungi, and animals) will be Unikonta examined in future labs. Opisthokonts Protista Classification Excavata Starting with the four “Supergroups”, we will divide the rest into different levels called clades. A Clade is defined as a group of Alveolates biological taxa (as species) that includes all descendants of one common ancestor. Too simplify this process, we have included a cladogram we will be using throughout the SAR Stramenopila course. We will divide or expand parts of the cladogram to emphasize evolutionary relationships. For the protists, we will divide Rhizaria the supergroups into smaller clades assigning them artificial numbers (clade1, clade2, clade3) to establish a grouping at a specific level.
    [Show full text]
  • S41598-018-20067-Z.Pdf
    www.nature.com/scientificreports OPEN Structural and functional characterization of shaft, anchor, and tip proteins of the Mfa1 fmbria Received: 11 May 2017 Accepted: 12 January 2018 from the periodontal pathogen Published: xx xx xxxx Porphyromonas gingivalis Michael Hall1, Yoshiaki Hasegawa2, Fuminobu Yoshimura2 & Karina Persson1 Very little is known about how fmbriae of Bacteroidetes bacteria are assembled. To shed more light on this process, we solved the crystal structures of the shaft protein Mfa1, the regulatory protein Mfa2, and the tip protein Mfa3 from the periodontal pathogen Porphyromonas gingivalis. Together these build up part of the Mfa1 fmbria and represent three of the fve proteins, Mfa1-5, encoded by the mfa1 gene cluster. Mfa1, Mfa2 and Mfa3 have the same overall fold i.e., two β-sandwich domains. Upon polymerization, the frst β-strand of the shaft or tip protein is removed by indigenous proteases. Although the resulting void is expected to be flled by a donor-strand from another fmbrial protein, the mechanism by which it does so is still not established. In contrast, the frst β-strand in Mfa2, the anchoring protein, is frmly attached by a disulphide bond and is not cleaved. Based on the structural information, we created multiple mutations in P. gingivalis and analysed their efect on fmbrial polymerization and assembly in vivo. Collectively, these data suggest an important role for the C-terminal tail of Mfa1, but not of Mfa3, afecting both polymerization and maturation of downstream fmbrial proteins. Humans co-exist with microorganisms that play signifcant roles in our biology. Te largest bacterial population is found in the gut, where species of Bacteroidetes are the most common Gram-negative anaerobes1.
    [Show full text]
  • Cell Structure and Function in the Bacteria and Archaea
    4 Chapter Preview and Key Concepts 4.1 1.1 DiversityThe Beginnings among theof Microbiology Bacteria and Archaea 1.1. •The BacteriaThe are discovery classified of microorganismsinto several Cell Structure wasmajor dependent phyla. on observations made with 2. theThe microscope Archaea are currently classified into two 2. •major phyla.The emergence of experimental 4.2 Cellscience Shapes provided and Arrangements a means to test long held and Function beliefs and resolve controversies 3. Many bacterial cells have a rod, spherical, or 3. MicroInquiryspiral shape and1: Experimentation are organized into and a specific Scientificellular c arrangement. Inquiry in the Bacteria 4.31.2 AnMicroorganisms Overview to Bacterialand Disease and Transmission Archaeal 4.Cell • StructureEarly epidemiology studies suggested how diseases could be spread and 4. Bacterial and archaeal cells are organized at be controlled the cellular and molecular levels. 5. • Resistance to a disease can come and Archaea 4.4 External Cell Structures from exposure to and recovery from a mild 5.form Pili allowof (or cells a very to attach similar) to surfacesdisease or other cells. 1.3 The Classical Golden Age of Microbiology 6. Flagella provide motility. Our planet has always been in the “Age of Bacteria,” ever since the first 6. (1854-1914) 7. A glycocalyx protects against desiccation, fossils—bacteria of course—were entombed in rocks more than 3 billion 7. • The germ theory was based on the attaches cells to surfaces, and helps observations that different microorganisms years ago. On any possible, reasonable criterion, bacteria are—and always pathogens evade the immune system. have been—the dominant forms of life on Earth.
    [Show full text]
  • Marine Ecology Progress Series 601:77
    Vol. 601: 77–95, 2018 MARINE ECOLOGY PROGRESS SERIES Published August 9 https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12685 Mar Ecol Prog Ser OPENPEN ACCESSCCESS Remarkable structural resistance of a nanoflagellate- dominated plankton community to iron fertilization during the Southern Ocean experiment LOHAFEX Isabelle Schulz1,2,3, Marina Montresor4, Christine Klaas1, Philipp Assmy1,2,5, Sina Wolzenburg1, Mangesh Gauns6, Amit Sarkar6,7, Stefan Thiele8,9, Dieter Wolf-Gladrow1, Wajih Naqvi6, Victor Smetacek1,6,* 1Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum für Polar- und Meeresforschung, 27570 Bremerhaven, Germany 2MARUM − Center for Marine Environmental Sciences, University of Bremen, 28359 Bremen, Germany 3Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division, Red Sea Research Center, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, 23955-6900 Thuwal, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 4Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121 Naples, Italy 5Norwegian Polar Institute, Fram Centre, 9296 Tromsø, Norway 6CSIR National Institute of Oceanography, 403 004 Goa, India 7National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research, 403 804 Goa, India 8Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology, 28359 Bremen, Germany 9Institute for Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, Friedrich Schiller University, 07743 Jena, Germany ABSTRACT: The genesis of phytoplankton blooms and the fate of their biomass in iron-limited, high-nutrient−low-chlorophyll regions can be studied under natural conditions with ocean iron fertilization (OIF) experiments. The Indo-German OIF experiment LOHAFEX was carried out over 40 d in late summer 2009 within the cold core of a mesoscale eddy in the productive south- west Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean. Silicate concentrations were very low, and phyto- plankton biomass was dominated by autotrophic nanoflagellates (ANF) in the size range 3−10 µm.
    [Show full text]
  • Physical, Chemical, and Genetic Techniques for Diatom Frustule Modification: Applications in Nanotechnology
    applied sciences Review Physical, Chemical, and Genetic Techniques for Diatom Frustule Modification: Applications in Nanotechnology Alessandra Rogato 1,2 and Edoardo De Tommasi 3,* 1 Institute of Biosciences and Bioresources, National Research Council, Via P. Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy; [email protected] 2 Department of Integrative Marine Ecology, Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, 80121 Naples, Italy; 3 Institute of Applied Sciences and Intelligent Systems, National Research Council, Via P. Castellino 111, 80131 Naples, Italy * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 29 September 2020; Accepted: 3 December 2020; Published: 6 December 2020 Abstract: Diatom frustules represent one of the most complex examples of micro- and nano-structured materials found in nature, being the result of a biomineralization process refined through tens of milions of years of evolution. They are constituted by an intricate, ordered porous silica matrix which recently found several applications in optoelectronics, sensing, solar light harvesting, filtering, and drug delivery, to name a few. The possibility to modify the composition and the structure of frustules can further broaden the range of potential applications, adding new functions and active features to the material. In the present work the most remarkable physical and chemical techniques aimed at frustule modification are reviewed, also examining the most recent genetic techniques developed for its controlled morphological mutation. Keywords: diatoms; biomaterials; biomineralization; hybrid nanomaterials; surface functionalization; nanotechnologies; sensing; genetic engineering 1. Introduction Many living organisms, from unicellular to multicellular ones (e.g., bacteria, protists, plants, invertebrates and vertebrates), are able to produce minerals to develop peculiar features such as shells, bones, teeth or exoskeleton.
    [Show full text]