There are two types of viruses which fall into the prokaryotes class, and they include actual viruses and bacterial viruses (Nester, 2012). However, not all archaea and bacteria can be categorized as prokaryotes. Bacterial and archaeal organisms are similar in appearances and can frequently be confused by looks alone. However, they vary from each other in numerous ways.
Bacteria are among the most prominent domain of microorganisms in the prokaryotic class. They are said to include the earliest forms of life that were seen on the planet and existed on the majority of habitats such as plants, animals, and human bodies. Approximately, there are five nonillion bacteria in existence (Baker, 2011). Even though initially bacteria were considered as plants comprising the category of Schizomycetes, they are currently categorized under prokaryotes. Unlike eukaryotes cells, cells of bacterial lack a nucleus and their organelles are rarely bound by a membrane.
Archaea is a section of single-celled microorganisms and was initially categorized as archaebacterial under prokaryotes, but this classification is today regarded out of date (Boone et al, 2012) Currently archaea is a true domain in the system of three fields of single-celled organisms. Bacteria and Archaeal viruses are both single-celled organism that has many similarities as well as differences regarding their structure and genetic make-up.
Similarities between Bacterial and Archaeal Viruses
Bacteria and Archaea are both prokaryotes, implying that they lack a nucleus and membranes do not bind their organelles (Kovalchuk " Olga, 2016). Both are small single-celled organisms that cannot be viewed by microbes of the naked eye. When observed under the microscope, bacteria and archaea appear to have the same size and shape. They exist as coils, plates, cones, and rods. Both bacteria and archaea have flagella which are threadlike structures which put organisms to a motion by forcing them into their environment. Even though bacteria are the same in shape and size, some archaea have very unusual forms, like the square and flat-shaped cells.
The relationship between bacteria and archaea is significant is of paramount significance for understanding life origin. Most of the pathways in metabolism that are the subject of most of the genes of organisms are common between bacteria and archaea. Most genes found in genome expression are common between eukaryotes and archaea (Nester, 2012). In prokaryotes, the cell structure of archaea is mostly the same as gram-positive bacteria, mainly since both have one lipid bilayer. They usually have a broad succubus of the different chemical compositions. In certain trees of phylogenetic determined by varying prokaryotic protein or gene, the archaeal homologs are highly associated with gram-positive bacteria. Gram-positive bacteria and archaea also have similarly conserved indels within some essential proteins (Boone et al, 2012). Nonetheless, the phylogeny of such genes is believed to indicate the inter-domain transfer of genes and might fail to reflect the relationship between organisms. It has been suggested that archaeal were formed from gram-positive bacteria while responding to selection pressure in an antibiotic (Kovalchuk " Olga, 2016). It is proposed by the fact that field of arcaea is seen to resist a wide range of medicines which are mainly formed by gram-positive bacteria. These antibiotics primarily work on the genes which differentiate bacteria from archaea. It is suggested that selective pressure towards the resistance created by gram-positive antimicrobial was finally adequate in causing significant transformations in numerous antibiotic –target genes (Jones, 2012). Also, these strains stand for the ordinary early existence of today’s archaea. The change of archaea in reaction to antibiotic selection and any other better selection pressure may also describe the reason for their adaptation to severe environments due to the search for available niches to avoid antibiotic-producing organisms. Archaea and bacteria have similar ecological roles as bacteria. Both of these organisms react to various antibiotics in a different ways. In spite their morphological resemblance, the area has several metabolic pathways and genes which are more different from bacteria.
Differences between Bacterial Viruses and Archaeal Viruses
Both archaea and bacteria have distinct Ribosomal RNAs. Bacteria have a single RNA, but archaea have three (Baker et al, 2011). The walls of archaea cells do not have peptidoglycan, and also their membranes enclose lipids that have hydrocarbons instead of fatty acids. The fats in the archaea membrane are unique and have connections between the backbones of glycerol instead of linkages of the ester. Bacteria have a lesser resemblance with eukaryotes than archaea. The archaea ribbons function more like those of eukaryotic ribosomes, unlike bacterial ribosomes.
Archaeal viruses and bacteria are also different in biochemical and genetic makeup. Only in the few recent decades, arches were acknowledged as a distinct field of life (Ultrastructure Of Bacterial Viruses, 2012).. Archaea is extremophiles because they survive in geochemically and physically severe environments. At some point when the difference between area and bacterial was not well understood, archaea were mistakenly termed as archaebacterial.
Notably, the enzymes used in translation and transcription are not the same in bacteria. Other elements of the biochemistry of archaea are unique and include their dependence on ether lipids within their cell membranes and archaeal. Archael consumes more sources of energy than bacteria which vary from organic compounds like sugars to hydrogen gas, metal ions or even ammonia. Archaeal that is tolerant to utilize sunlight as a source of energy and other varieties of arches can fix carbon. Nonetheless, unlike cyanobacteria and plants, no specific area species does both. Archaeal that are salt-tolerant consume sunlight for their source of energy, and other varieties of archaea use carbon. Unlike bacteria and plants, no particular type of archaea can do both.
Reproduction in archaea occurs asexually through budding, fragmentation or binary fission (Baker, 2011). Unlike bacteria, archaea do not form spores. Initially, archaea were seen as extremophiles thriving in hardship environments like salt-lakes and hot springs. However, they can now be found in within a broad range of ecosystems, such as marshlands, oceans, and soils. They also form part of microbial in the human body and can be found in the skin, oral cavity and colon. Archaea are mainly found in water, and the most abundant categories can be found in plankton. Some archaeal virus constitutes only a small percentage of the entire population of prokaryotic microorganisms. Hence the research of archaea infecting viruses is still fresh.
Conclusion
As organisms, archaea and bacteria are both prokaryotic and microscopic. These prokaryotes exist widely on the planet and live in widespread habitats, including extreme ones. Archaea and bacteria are some of oldest living cells that have been seen for an extended period (Boone, 2012). Their vires are similar in appearances and can frequently be confused by looks alone. However, they vary from each other in numerous ways. Archaea resemble bacteria in size and shape, and this is usually the basis for confusion. However certain archaea take extraordinary forms like a square or flat-shaped cells. Archaea infecting viruses are currently the least researched virus category. These infections are more diverse regarding morphology than bacterial viruses (Boone, 2012). Also, archaeal viruses show more unique morph types, unlike bacterial viruses. Bacterial and archaeal viruses are similar in appearances and can frequently be confused by looks alone. However, they vary from each other in numerous ways.
References
Baker, Simon et al. Microbiology. London, Taylor " Francis, 2011,
Boone, David R et al. Bergey's Manual Of Systematic Bacteriology. New York, Springer, 2012,.
Jones, Phill. Viruses. New York, Chelsea House, 2012,.
Kovalchuk, Igor, and Olga Kovalchuk. Genome Stability. Saint Louis, Elsevier Science, 2016,
Nester, Eugene W. Microbiology. New York, Mcgraw-Hill, 2012,.
Ultrastructure Of Bacterial Viruses. Springer Verlag, 2012,.
