Question

Which of the following components provides sticky character to the bacterial cell?
A. Glycoclayx
B. Cell wall
C. Nuclear membrane
D. Plasma membrane

Answer 1

Hint:Bacteria are present everywhere around us whether you see any object placed or a handful of soil. They belong to group Monera. It is the most trancerse kingdom and has various life forms.

Complete answer:
Glycocalyx made up of carbohydrate is a coating that covers the outside of eukaryotic cells and prokaryotic cells, specifically in bacteria. When it is present in eukaryotic cells , glycocalyx serves the function as a factor that is used for the recognition of the cell. On bacterial cells, glycocalyx forms a protective coat to protect it from host factors. Glycoclayx is a polysaccharide that sometimes can appear as slime and the capsule. The slime is a gelatinous substance which is secreted by the protoplast and is further deposited over the cell wall in the form of a loose gelatinous sheath or covering known as slime layer. Sometimes , in some cases a nitrogenous substance is also present in addition to the polysaccharide due to which the slime layer becomes thick , called a capsule now. This capsule is associated with parasitic forms like diplococcus pneumonia and mycobacterium tuberculosis. The slime layer in turn protects the bacterial cell from desiccation or any viral attack. These encapsulated bacteria are generally atrichous i.e non-flagellated. This glycocalyx layer is responsible for providing sticky character to the bacteria.

Hence, the correct answer to this is option (A) i.e. glycocalyx.

Note:-
On the basis of number of flagella th bacteria are divided into different groups- atrichous refers to flagella absent, monotrichous means a single flagellum is attached at the one end, cephalotrichous refers to many flagella are present at the one end of bacteria, amphitrichous stands for two flagella one at each side, lophotrichous means group of flagella attached to one end and peritrichous refers to flagella attached all over the body.