In this article we illustrate the relation of mitochondria to different form of bacteria individually and in details and find out do bacteria have mitochondria.
Mitochondria are specialized organelle specific to animal, plants and fungi. Though, evidences show that mitochondria evolved from the primitive bacteria. Mitochondria serves as batteries for various cells or whole organisms.
Plant, animals and fungi are eukaryotic organisms and having highly ordered cell arrangement. They genetic material whether DNA or RNA are packed into central nucleus. The bacteria are prokaryotic cells, having simple organization, open or free nucleic material.
Can bacteria have mitochondria?
Bacteria are single celled, free living and having their genetic material free in the cell. they do not have any membrane bound organelle. The mitochondria are the double membrane bound organelle having its own circular DNA and its own machinery to survive and replicate.
The circular DNA, transcription and translational machinery of mitochondria is same or similar to the bacteria organelles. Due to this a related observation, Dr. Lynn in 1970s propose an extracellular origin for mitochondria.
During the time of origin of life, the warm seas of earth would have first living things that would have been prokaryotes. The hypothesis of endosymbiotic theory, suggests that mitochondria and chloroplasts are descended from the specialized bacteria (probably purple bacteria nonsulfur bacteria). The infused bacteria in the host cell somehow survive and perform its function and became incorporated into cytoplasm. The endosymbiotic hypothesis might be called a theory, but there are no experimental evidences found to support this hypothesis.
The mitochondria called as the power house of the cell due to its production of energy unit ATP. Cellular respiration took over there, it helps to give energy to cell to perform various metabolic functions. But in prokaryotes cell, energy is produced inside the cytoplasm, so there is no need of extra organelle to preform such functions. Even if a bacterium wants to have a mitochondria, it couldn’t.
Do all bacteria have mitochondria?
Mainly there are three big domains of life: Bacteria, Archaea and Eukarya. Bacteria and Archaea are traditionally single celled. Bacterial cells lack organelle with membrane enclosing them. Having look on the structure of mitochondria, having inner and outer membranes, that cannot be held inside the bacteria.
Bacteria do not have any large organelle with their own membrane i.e. no nucleus, no mitochondria, no chloroplast. As they lack basic tools for genetic information, so to preform basic cell function they make up their other ways to perform their functions. The average size of bacteria is small (no need of Golgi Apparatus) having genetic information in the form of small rings of coiled DNA, known as Nucleoid (no need for nucleus) and finally they can produce energy independent of any organelle.
Energy is produced inside the cytoplasm. What kind of energy is produced that will depend on the type of cell they are. Autotrophic prokaryotes produce energy on their own usually (but not always) by photosynthesis. Heterotrophic prokaryotes have to take in, or engulf to produce energy.
Do gram positive bacteria have mitochondria?
The gram positive bacteria have single membrane but mitochondria have double membrane. So, there is any kind of evidences which stated that mitochondria are present or evolved from gram positive bacteria.
The prime function of mitochondria is cellular respiration to produce energy on the form of ATP to carry out metabolic functions which in bacteria are performed by mesosomes. Mesosomes are prokaryotic organelles which originally infoldings of bacterial outer cell membrane. The main function of the mesosomes are to increase the surface area of plasma membrane which help to carry out respiration more efficiently.
Do gram negative bacteria have mitochondria?
Eukaryotic mitochondrial organelles evolved from the gram negative bacteria. Both the entities have two surrounding lipid bilayers called as inner and outer membranes. The mitochondrial outer membrane originates from the engulfment of an endosymbiotic precursor bacteria.
During the evolution, lipid composition changed significantly due to different environmental requirements. The gram negative bacteria, mitochondria and chloroplast having porin channel proteins in their outer membrane sharing the same features. Mitochondria thought to have originated from the Rickettsia genus, a gram negative bacterium. The mitochondria do not have lipid layer in their outer membrane as it is not required in the process of cellular respiration.
Do anaerobic bacteria have mitochondria?
The anaerobic bacteria are those micro-organisms which survive and reproduce in the complete absence of oxygen and mitochondria are the cell organelle which require oxygen to carry out its function of respiration.
Anaerobic bacteria are present about 3.2 billion years when at earth atmosphere no oxygen is present. But mitochondria thought to be arisen with the aerobic bacteria about 2.5 billion years ago.
Do aerobic bacteria have mitochondria?
The aerobic bacteria are those micro-organisms which depend on the oxygen for their survival and metabolic activities. Also, the mitochondria perform its function in the presence of oxygen.
According to endosymbiotic theory of mitochondria origin, it is believed that the aerobic bacteria which perform function in presence of oxygen were incorporated into large host cell that served as ancestor of current eukaryotic cells. The infused bacteria perform the function in presence of oxygen while in return host cell provide nutrition supply of all kind to the prokaryotic cell. The aerobic bacteria were very likely the ancestor of the mitochondria presently found in the human cells.
Do photosynthetic bacteria have mitochondria?
The photosynthetic bacteria are those bacteria which can transform light energy into biochemical energy but able to grow in both with or without oxygen. The mitochondria able to perform function only in presence of air (oxygen).
The photosynthetic bacteria having tightly packed folds of their outer membrane. These folds are to increase the potential surface area on which photosynthesis take place. These folds are called as mesosomes.
As per endosymbiotic theory, the primitive eukaryotic cell engulfs photosynthetic bacteria and developed into today’s eukaryotic cell. it can believe that the mitochondria may be evolved from the photosynthetic bacteria.
How do bacteria obtain energy?
The bacteria are a living organism, so they need energy to carry its machinery. In the atmosphere, many kinds of bacteria present which carry out energy production in different ways. The bacteria obtain food from environment a break down to get energy. Various bacteria obtain its food by different modes.
Autotrophic bacteria are those bacteria which synthesize or make their own food for energy production by using inorganic substances. The bacteria further classified into phototrophs and lithotrophs. The bacteria get carbon from carbon dioxide and hydrogen from hydrogen sulfide, ammonia or atmospheric hydrogen.
Heterotrophic bacteria are bacteria which cannot synthesize their own food but consume food that is already present in the environment. These bacteria use organic carbon compounds for carbon source. These kinds of bacteria include parasitic bacteria.
There are three modes from which bacteria obtain food for energy
- By the process of photosynthesis,
- By chemosynthesis,
- By symbiosis (mutualism, commensalism and parasitism).
How do bacteria produce energy without mitochondria?
The bacteria do not have mitochondria, yet they produced energy by different means. The bacteria generate energy through glycolysis (break down of glucose) and by generating a proton gradient across their cell membranes. Also, some bacteria in case of phototrophs can use light (sunlight) to generate a proton gradient and thus ultimately final product, ATP.
The bacteria rely on their inner environment to obtain usable energy. Bacteria use electron transport chains to make up the chemiosmotic gradient to produce ATP. ATP is producing at the outer surface of bacteria where an organelle mesosomes is present. The mesosomes is the inward folding of bacteria cell membrane act as site for ATP production.
Also Read:
- Iron bacteria examples
- Parasitism examples
- Do muscle cells have mitochondria
- Butterflies characteristics
- Do prokaryotes have histones
- Exotic species examples
- Do stem cells have a nucleus
- Flagship species examples
- Box jellyfish types characteristics
- Digestive enzyme example
Hi..I am Tanu Rapria, I have completed my Master’s in Biotechnology. I always like to explore new areas in the field of Biotechnology.
Apart from this, I like to read, travel and photography.