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Metabolism
Coordination of many different chemical reactions and the organization of molecules into specific structures.
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Catabolic reactions
Energy releasing chemical reactions
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Anabolic Reactions
Energy requiring chemical reactions
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Siderophores
Bind to Iron and transport it into the cell
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Culture Media
the nutrient solutions used to grow microorganisms in the laboratory
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Pure Culture
A culture containing only a single kind of microorganism
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Aseptic technique
A series of steps to prevent contamination during manipulations of cultures and sterile culture media
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Free Energy
the energy released that is available to do work (delta G)
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Exergonic
Energy yielding reactions
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Endergonic
reactions require energy to proceed
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Activation Energy
The energy required to break the bonds in the catalysis of an enzyme
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Catalyst
substance that lowers the activation energy of a reaction, thereby increasing the reaction rate.
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Enzymes
Biological Catalysts
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Coenzymes
Loosely bound to enzymes that participate in catalysis. It is not a substrate nor protein
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Prosthetic Groups
bound very tightly to their enzyme, usually covalently and permanently. Non protein molecules that participate in catalysis but are not themselves substrates.
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Oxidized
The electron donor in a reaction
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Reduced
electron acceptor in a chemical reaction
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Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)
The most important energy-rich phosphate compound in cells
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Substrate-level phosphorylation
ATP is synthesized directly from an energy-rich intermediate during steps in the catabolism of the fermentable coumpound. This is how ATP is created during Fermentation.
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Oxidative phosphorylation
ATP is produced at the expense of the proton motive force
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photophosphorylation
occurs in phototrophic organisms. Also relies on the proton motive force
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Glycolysis
A common pathway for the fermentation of glucose. It is an anaerobic process and can be divided into three stages, each involving a series of enzymatic reactions (preparatory, redox, and redox)
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Glycolysis Stage 1
Preparatory reactions (Prep-steps) - these are not redox reactions and do not release energy but lead to the production of two molecules of a key intermediate, glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate, from glucose.
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Glycolysis Stage 2
Redox Reactions - occur, energy is conserved in the form of ATP, and two molecules of pyruvate are formed
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Glycolysis Stage 3
Redox Reactions occur once again and fermentation products are formed
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Proton Motive force
pH gradient and electrochemical potential, causes the membrane to be energized much like a battery. Some of this energy is then conserved in the formation of ATP. Besides driving ATP synthesis, the energized state of the membrane can also be used to do work such as ion transport, flagellar rotation, and many other energy requiring reactions in the cell
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ATP synthase (ATPase)
the complex that converts the proton motive force into ATP
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Citric Acid Cycle
The pathway by which pyruvate is completely oxidized to CO2. For each pyruvate molecule oxidized through the CA cycle, three CO2 molecules are released.
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Anaerobic Respiration
Under anoxic conditions, electron acceptors other than oxygen can be used to support respiration. Low energy is produced
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Acidophile
An organism that grows best at low pH; typically below pH 6
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Aerobe
an organism that can use oxygen (O2) in respiration; some require oxygen
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Aerotolerant Anaerobe
A microorganism unable to respire oxygen (O2) but whose growth is unaffected by oxygen
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Alkaliphile
An organism that has a growth pH optimum of 9 or higher
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Anaerobe
An organism that cannot use O2 in respiration and whose growth is typically inhibited by O2
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Autolysis
spontaneous cell lysis, usually due to the activity of lytic proteins called autolysins
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Batch Culture
A closed-system microbial culture of fixed volume
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Binary Fission
cell division following enlargement of a cell to twice its minimum size
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Biofilm
an attached polysaccharide matrix containing bacterial cells
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Cardinal temperatures
the minimum, maximum, and optimum growth temperatures for a given organism
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Chemostat
a device that allows for the continuous culture of microorganisms with independent control of both growth rate and cell number
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Compatible solute
a molecule that is accumulated in the cytoplasm of a cell for adjustment of water activity but that does not inhibit biochemical processes
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Divisome
a complex of proteins that directs cell division processes in prokaryotes
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Extreme Halophile
A microorganism that requires very large amounts of salt (NaCL) usually greater than 10% and in some cases near to saturation, for growth
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Extremophile
An organism that grows optimally under one or more chemical or physical extremes, such as high or low temperature or pH
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Facultative
With respect to oxygen, an organism that can grow in either its presence or absence
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FtsZ
a protein that forms a ring along the mid-cell-division plane to initiate cell division
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Generation time
the time required for a population of microbial cells to double
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Halophile
a microorganism that requires NaCL for growth
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Halotolerant
not requiring NaCl for growth but able to grow in the presence of salt, in some cases, substantial leves of salt
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Hyperthermophile
A prokaryote that has a growth temperature optimum of 80 C or greater
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Mesophile
An organism that grows best at temperatures between 20 and 45 C
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Microaerophile
an aerobic organism that can grown only when oxygen tensions are reduced from that present in air
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Obligate anaerobe
an organism that cannot grow in the presence of O2
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Osmophile
an organism that grows best in the presence of high levels of solute typically sugar
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Psychrophile
an organism with a growth temperature optimum of 15 C or lower and a maximum growth temperature below 20 C
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Plate count
a viable counting method where the number of colonies on a plate is used as a measure of all numbers
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Psychrotolerant
capable of growing at low temperatures but having an optimum above 20 C
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Thermophile
an organism whose growth temperature optimum lies between 45 and 80 C
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Transpeptidation
formation of peptide cross-links between muramic acid residues in peptidoglycan synthesis
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Xerophile
- An organism that is able to live, or that lives best, in very dry environments
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