Question: Mesosomes are found in _________
Answer:
- Mesosomes are structures found in certain bacteria and they were believed to be invaginations of the bacterial plasma membrane.
- In 1950s, mesosomes were described by electron microscopy studies.
- The term “mesosome” is primarily associated with Gram-positive bacteria, such as Bacillus and Staphylococcus species. In Gram-negative bacteria, similar structures have been observed and are often referred to as membrane infoldings.
- Initially, mesosomes were proposed to play a role in cell division, DNA replication, and cell wall synthesis.
| Aspect | Information |
| Structure | · Membranous invaginations observed in some bacteria |
| Functions
|
· Involvement in cell division: Initially suggested to play a role in cell division, but subsequent studies have challenged this hypothesis. Mesosomes are not considered essential for cell division.
· DNA replication: Some studies proposed a role for mesosomes in DNA replication due to their proximity to the nucleoid region. · Energy metabolism: Involvement of mesosomes in cellular respiration and energy metabolism by providing increased surface area for enzyme localization. |