4.4:
Prokaryotic Cells
Archaea and bacteria are prokaryotes, small unicellular organisms.
All prokaryotic cells are surrounded by a selectively permeable plasma membrane, which can be covered by a peptidoglycan wall. Polymers of amino acids and sugars, for an extra level of protection, mostly to maintain both osmotic pressure and overall shape. Outside of this envelope is another layer of defense. The hydrophilic capsule, a polysaccharide border that promotes adhesion. Inside, several components are simply suspended in the viscus cytoplasm, including the genetic material.
Instead of a nucleus, DNA is arranged as a singe, double strand clustered in the central portion called nucleoid, where it can interact with freely floating proteins. Smaller circular pieces, plasmids are psychically separated from this chromosomal DNA, and can replicate independently providing an advantage of survival like antibiotic resistance. Beyond these universal structural similarities, different species do contain unique protein and lipid bound organelles.
For instance, cyanobacteria possess micro departments, such as carbon fixing carboxysomes and photosynthetic thylakoids for harvesting light at very low intensities. While magneto tactic bacteria have magnetosomes that direct their movement along magnetic field lines. Other modes include spore formation and inclusions for storing excess nutrients.
Despite their reputation for being simple with a low degree of cellular compartmentalization, prokaryotic cells have evolved to survive complex surroundings.
4.4:
Prokaryotic Cells
Prokaryotes are small unicellular organisms that include the domains—Archaea and Bacteria. Bacteria include many common organisms, such as Salmonella and E. coli, while the Archaea include extremophiles that live in harsh environments, such as volcanic springs.
Like eukaryotic cells, all prokaryotic cells are surrounded by a plasma membrane, have genetic material in the form of single, circular DNA, a cytoplasm that fills the interior of the cell, and ribosomes that synthesize proteins. However, unlike eukaryotic cells, prokaryotes lack a nucleus or other membrane-bound intracellular organelles. Their cellular components float freely within the cytoplasm, although their DNA is clustered within a region called the nucleoid.
Inside the cytoplasm, many prokaryotes have small, circular, double-stranded pieces of DNA called plasmids. These are distinct from the cell's chromosomal DNA and carry just a few special genes that provide bacteria with survival advantages, such as antibiotic resistance. Plasmids are self-replicating and can be transmitted between prokaryotic cells.
Most prokaryotes have a cell wall made of peptidoglycan that lies outside of their plasma membrane. It physically protects the cell and helps it maintain osmotic pressure in different environments. Many prokaryotes also have a sticky capsule layer that covers their cell wall and allows them to stick to a substrate or each other, thus providing additional protection.
While prokaryotes do not have membrane-bound organelles, some have infoldings of the plasma membrane that carry out specialized functions—such as photosynthesis in cyanobacteria. Therefore, although prokaryotes are simple cells compared to eukaryotes, they do have some unique structures that help them carry out complex functions and allow them to live in a wide variety of environments.
Suggested Reading
Oikonomou, Catherine M., and Grant J. Jensen. “A New View into Prokaryotic Cell Biology from Electron Cryotomography.” Nature Reviews. Microbiology 14, no. 4 (April 2016): 205–20. [Source]
Murat, Dorothee, Meghan Byrne, and Arash Komeili. “Cell Biology of Prokaryotic Organelles.” Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology 2, no. 10 (October 2010). [Source]