BRAINCAKEBacterial Cell
Bacteria are prokaryotic cells. They are much smaller and simpler than eukaryotic cells, typically about 0.5 to 5 µm long, and have no nucleus and no membrane-bound organelles.
Structures found in all bacterial cells
• Cell wall: made of peptidoglycan (murein), a polymer of sugars cross-linked by short chains of amino acids. It gives shape and strength and stops the cell bursting by osmosis. It is not made of cellulose.
• Cell surface membrane: controls entry and exit of substances.
• Cytoplasm containing 70S ribosomes, smaller than the 80S ribosomes of eukaryotic cytoplasm.
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Key terms in this lesson
- prokaryotic cell
- A cell with no nucleus and no membrane-bound organelles, such as a bacterial cell, whose DNA is circular and free in the cytoplasm.
More in Prokaryotic Cells
- Pili and Flagella
- Cell Surface Membrane
- Plasmids
- Nucleoid
- 70S Ribosomes
- Gram-Staining
- Antibiotics
- Alternative Classification of Bacteria
All 31 lessons in Prokaryotic Cells · All Edexcel AS-level Biology topics