Bacteria reproduce by an asexual process called binary fission. In this sequence of events, the chromosome duplicates, the cell elongates, and the plasma membrane pinches inward at the center of the cell. When the nuclear material has been evenly distributed, the cell wall thickens and grows inward to separate the dividing cell. No mitotic structures (e.g., spindle, aster) are present [...]
Centrifugation is a useful means of isolating and purifying cellular components because most organelles and macromolecules differ from one another significantly in size and density (and sometimes also in shape, especially in the case of macromolecules). These properties, as well as the density and viscosity of the surrounding medium, determine the rate at which a specific particle will move when [...]
The anatomy of bacteria or any organism refers to its size and shape and the structural features that make it distinctive. Anatomy is an inherited trait derived from information stored in the chromosomal DNA. This trait is passed from generation to generation in the genes. Viewed under the light microscope, most bacteria appear in variations of three different shapes – [...]