Prokaryotic cells

• Prokaryotic cells


  Cells that lack a membrane-bound nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles
• Prokaryotic cells


  • No membrane-bound organelles
  • DNA is circular and not bound to histone proteins
  • May contain plasmids
  • Ribosomes are smaller (70S) than eukaryotic ribosomes (80S)
• Cell wall


  Surrounds prokaryotic cells, made of peptidoglycan, helps maintain cell structure
• Bacterial cell


  • May have a slime capsule to protect against phagocytosis
  • May have flagella for movement
  • May have pili to attach to surfaces and transfer DNA
• Mesosomes


  Infoldings in the cell membrane of prokaryotes, previously thought to play a role in respiration but now believed to be artifacts
• Prokaryotic cells contain lipid droplets and glycogen granules as nutrient stores