The characteristics of eukaryotic microorganisms

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          These microorganisms are generally larger and more complex than prokaryotes. They can be single-celled, like yeast, or multicellular, like some fungi and helminths. Their cell walls, if present, are made of chitin in fungi, or other substances in protists, which is different from the peptidoglycan found in bacteria.

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Life Cycles of Select Eukaryotic Organisms 🔁

  Eukaryotic microorganisms have varied life cycles. For example, the fungus Saccharomyces cerevisiae (baker's yeast) can reproduce both asexually and sexually. Asexually, it uses budding, where a new cell grows from a small bud on the parent cell. Sexually, it can form spores that germinate under favorable conditions. Another example is the protist Plasmodium, the parasite that causes malaria. Its complex life cycle involves both a mosquito and a human host. Within the human, the parasite reproduces asexually in the liver and red blood cells, while sexual reproduction occurs inside the mosquito.

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Defining Acellular and Describing Viruses and Prions 🔬

  Acellular means "not consisting of cells" or "without cells." Viruses and prions are examples of acellular entities.

• • Viruses are obligate intracellular parasites. Their structure consists of a protein coat called a capsid that encloses their genetic material, which can be either DNA or RNA. Some viruses also have an outer lipid membrane called an envelope, which is derived from the host cell. Viruses lack ribosomes, mitochondria, and other cellular machinery, so they cannot replicate on their own.

• Prions are even simpler. They are infectious proteins that lack any genetic material (DNA or RNA). They are misfolded versions of a normal protein found on the surface of cells, particularly in the brain. Prions cause other normal proteins to misfold, leading to a chain reaction that results in neurodegenerative diseases like Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

Sample Answer

       

Characteristics of Eukaryotic Microorganisms 🦠

  Eukaryotic microorganisms are a diverse group that includes fungi, protists, and helminths. Their defining characteristic is a eukaryotic cell structure, meaning they have a true nucleus that houses their genetic material, and other membrane-bound organelles like mitochondria, the endoplasmic reticulum, and Golgi apparatus.