The predatory bacterium Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus drills into a prey bacterium and, once inside, digests it. When the predatory bacterium attacks the gram-negative bacterium, what are the first structures penetrated by B. bacteriovorus on its way into the prey's cytoplasm

The predatory bacterium will have to penetrate the cell wall and the cell membrane of the gram-negative bacterium before getting access to the cytoplasm.

In order to penetrate the cell wall of a gram-negative bacterium, the predatory bacterium will have to penetrate the components of the cell wall which consists of an outer membrane, a thin peptidoglycan layer, and a gel-like matrix known as the periplasm.

Thereafter, the predatory bacterium will have to penetrate the cell membrane before eventually getting access into the cytoplasm of the prey bacterium.

Larus Larus · Answer 2 · 2022-03-29T16:02:31+02:00

The peptidoglycan layer or the outer membrane will be the first structure penetrated by the B. bacteriovorus.

The attack of the predatory bacterium on the other bacterium:

In the given case, the predatory bacterium, that is, B. bacteriovorus needs to penetrate the cell wall and the membrane of the gram-negative bacterium prior of getting within the cytoplasm of the host bacterium.

To penetrate the cell wall of a gram-negative bacterium, the predatory bacterium have to infiltrate the cell wall components comprising,

An outer membrane
Periplasm, that is, the gel-like matrix
A thin peptidoglycan layer

Thus, the predatory bacterium will first have to penetrate the peptidoglycan layer of the gram-negative bacterium.

Find out more information about the attack of the predatory bacterium on the other bacterium here:

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