Since DNA is not separated from the cytosol in bacterial cells, nascent messenger RNAs that are being transcribed by RNA polymerase can be bound by ribosomes and translation can be initiated before the entire mRNA is even transcribed. All other processes listed may occur simultaneously in prokaryotic and/or eukaryotic cells.

Flagella are used for mobility by both prokaryotes (bacteria) and eukaryotes. In humans, you can find these structures in sperm cells, which are propelled by the motion of flagella. Similarly, bacterial cells move through the environment with the aid of flagella. The key difference between a bacterial and eukaryotic flagellum is its composition. Bacterial flagella are made up of a protein called flagellin, whereas eukaryotic flagella are made up of microtubules, formed from the protein tubulin.

A good antibiotic should target a biological system or function of the bacteria that is different than the host; an example being peptidoglycan in the cell wall of any bacteria. The antibiotic should be broad spectrum, or in other words have the ability to treat several types of bacterial infections regardless of the type of bacteria. The antibiotic should be able to be taken orally or intravenously for ease of administration. In addition most antibiotics are a dry form that can be stored at room temperature or above in order to make it ease to administer in underdeveloped countries or areas of poverty. The side effects should be negligible to the condition. Side effects are in direct proportion to the damage the chemical is doing to the host. If side effects are to harsh, other complications to the host, including death, could result.

We need to know the different between hypertonic, hypotonic, and isotonic. An environment is said to be hypertonic is there are more solute outside of the cell than inside. Since these solutes do not cross the cellular membrane very easily, but water can cross, water will travel out of the cell to balance the concentrations. This would cause the cell to shrink and shrivel.

The opposite is true for a hypotonic scenario, in which the cell will swell and maybe burst as water flows from the environment into the solute-filled cell. An isotonic environment is one in which solute concentrations are even, so there is no net movement of water into or out of the cell.

If you place a cell in a hypotonic solution it means that the solution contains less solute (and more water) than the cell’s cytosol. Recall that osmosis causes water to go from a region of high water content (few solutes) to a region of low water content (more solutes).

In this case, the water will go from the solution to the inside of the cell, causing the cell to swell.

Similar to eukaryotes, bacterial cells are in accordance with the central dogma of molecular biology. The flow of genetic information involves replication, transcription, and translation. Bacterial cells have to replicate their genetic material (replication), undergo transcription to convert DNA to mRNA, and go through translation to produce proteins from the mRNA.

Bacterial cells do not undergo mitosis or meiosis. Cell division can occur through other modes, such as binary fission. Since bacteria lack nuclei and other complex structures, their processes for cellular division are much more abbreviated and do not follow the same steps as eukaryotic mitosis.

Bacteria are a type of prokaryote, which do not have any membrane-bound organelles, but do have circular, doubled-stranded DNA, ribosomes, and an outer membrane made of proteins and lipids. Since glycolysis does not require any organelles, it occurs in they cytoplasm of both prokaryotes and eukaryotes.

A plasmid replicates itself by being introduced to a bacterium and inserting its genetic information. The bacterium then undergoes its replication process with the genetic information that was injected by the plasmid and in this way the plasmid is cloned. Bacteria do not undergo mitosis, rather, they undergo a process called binary fission to produce identical daughter cells.

In the mitochondria of eukaryotic cells, the electron transport chain is located in the inner membrane. Mitochondria are believed to be descended from bacteria that were long ago engulfed by other prokaryotic cells, producing the first eukaryotic cells. The outer membrane of mitochondria can be thought of being derived from the vesicle that was used to engulf the bacterial cell, and the inner membrane can be thought of being derived from the plasma membrane of the original bacterium.

Only gram-negative bacteria have an outer membrane. This outer membrane contains lipopolysaccharides. Gram-positive bacteria have only one membrane.

Teichoic acids are present only in gram-positive bacteria. They contribute to the thickness of the peptidoglycan layer.

Both types of bacteria have peptidoglycan. Gram-positive bacteria have a thick layer, due to the presence of teichoic acids. This allows them to retain the gram stain and appear purple. Gram-negative bacteria have a thin peptidoglycan layer, causing them to appear pink under gram staining.