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Cells, Viruses and Reproduction of Living Things

Prokaryotic cells and Gram staining

  • 3 things to know
  • Papers 1, 2 and 3

Overview

Recall questions on how prokaryotic cells differ from eukaryotic, the bacterial cell wall, and what Gram staining distinguishes.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Key term

What are the functions of the vacuole and the tonoplast in plant cells?

Key term

Why do Gram positive bacteria appear purple after Gram staining?

Key term

How does the outer membrane of Gram negative bacteria affect their antibiotic susceptibility?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    What is the nucleoid in a prokaryotic cell?

    Model answer

    The nucleoid is a region containing the circular chromosome of DNA, not enclosed by a membrane.

  2. 2

    What are plasmids and what genes do they commonly carry?

    Model answer

    Plasmids are small circular DNA molecules in prokaryotes that replicate independently of the chromosome and often carry genes for antibiotic resistance.

  3. 3

    What is the size of prokaryotic ribosomes?

    Model answer

    Prokaryotic ribosomes are 70S in size, smaller than eukaryotic ribosomes.

  4. 4

    What substance is found in prokaryotic cell walls and what is its function?

    Model answer

    Prokaryotic cell walls contain peptidoglycan (murein), which provides structural support and protection.

  5. 5

    Why do Gram positive bacteria appear purple after Gram staining?

    Model answer

    Gram positive bacteria have a thick peptidoglycan layer in their cell wall, which retains the crystal violet stain, causing them to appear purple.

  6. 6

    Describe the cell wall structure of Gram negative bacteria and explain why they appear pink after Gram staining.

    Model answer

    Gram negative bacteria have a thin peptidoglycan layer surrounded by an outer membrane containing lipopolysaccharides. They appear pink because they do not retain the crystal violet stain and instead take up the counterstain.

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