II. THE PROKARYOTIC CELL: BACTERIA

B. PROKARYOTIC CELL STRUCTURE

4. STRUCTURES LOCATED OUTSIDE THE CELL WALL

The overall purpose of this Learning Object is to list the various cellular components that are often found external to the bacterial cell wall.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES FOR THIS SECTION

In this section on Prokaryotic Cell Structure we are looking at the various organelles or structures that make up a bacterium. As mentioned in the introduction to this section, a typical bacterium usually consists of:

• a cytoplasmic membrane surrounded by a peptidoglycan cell wall and maybe an outer membrane;
  
• a fluid cytoplasm containing a nuclear region (nucleoid) and numerous ribosomes; and
  
• often various external structures such as a glycocalyx, flagella, and pili.
  

We will now look at the following structures located outside the cell wall of many bacteria.

a. glycocalyx (capsule) and S-layer
b. flagella
c. pili

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