Ask A Scientist© Molecular Biology Archive

name         Bhavnisha L.
status       student
age          17

Question -   How do bacteria respire
aerobically? Is it the same as
human respiration (ie. does it have these stages:
glycolysis, kreb cycle, electron transport chain)?

No, bacterial respiration is not exactly the same as
that of humans. Bacteria do not have mitochondria, the
cellular particles of eukaryotes that are specialized
in energy production and oxidative respiration. Still,
the principle is identical: glucose is oxidated to CO2
in a number of steps, and an electron transport chain
is present on their membrane. The Kreb's cycle is for
the most part conserved. One hypothesis is that
mitochondria are derived from a symbiosis between
different bacteria, in which the incoming bacteria
specialized in energy matters, and these became the
mitochondria. It would explain why mitochondria have
their own DNA that in some respects resemble DNA of
bacteria. Different species of bacteria have differnt
pathways for energy metabolism, and not all use
oxidative respiration.

Dr. Trudy Wassenaar
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Pretty much...in fact most of what we theorize goes on in human metabolism
comes from our studies in e-coli.

pf
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