The attachment of a symbiont to its host via adhesion molecules, general stickiness etc., either directly or indirectly. The host is defined as the larger of the organisms involved in a symbiotic interaction.

A modification of the TCA cycle occurring in some plants and microorganisms, in which isocitrate is cleaved to glyoxylate and succinate. Glyoxylate can then react with acetyl-CoA to form malate.

The chemical reactions and pathways involving coenzyme A, 3'-phosphoadenosine-(5')diphospho(4')pantatheine, an acyl carrier in many acylation and acyl-transfer reactions in which the intermediate is a thiol ester.

A nearly universal metabolic pathway in which the acetyl group of acetyl coenzyme A is effectively oxidized to two CO2 and four pairs of electrons are transferred to coenzymes. The acetyl group combines with oxaloacetate to form citrate, which undergoes successive transformations to isocitrate, 2-oxoglutarate, succinyl-CoA, succinate, fumarate, malate, and oxaloacetate again, thus completing the cycle. In eukaryotes the tricarboxylic acid is confined to the mitochondria. See also glyoxylate cycle.

The external part of the cell wall and/or plasma membrane.

The space external to the outermost structure of a cell. For cells without external protective or external encapsulating structures this refers to space outside of the plasma membrane. This term covers the host cell environment outside an intracellular parasite.

The rigid or semi-rigid envelope lying outside the cell membrane of plant, fungal, most prokaryotic cells and some protozoan parasites, maintaining their shape and protecting them from osmotic lysis. In plants it is made of cellulose and, often, lignin; in fungi it is composed largely of polysaccharides; in bacteria it is composed of peptidoglycan; in protozoan parasites such as Giardia species, it's made of carbohydrates and proteins.

The rigid or semi-rigid envelope lying outside the cell membrane of plant, fungal, most prokaryotic cells and some protozoan parasites, maintaining their shape and protecting them from osmotic lysis. In plants it is made of cellulose and, often, lignin; in fungi it is composed largely of polysaccharides; in bacteria it is composed of peptidoglycan; in protozoan parasites such as Giardia species, it's made of carbohydrates and proteins.

All of the contents of a cell excluding the plasma membrane and nucleus, but including other subcellular structures.

The part of the cytoplasm that does not contain organelles but which does contain other particulate matter, such as protein complexes.

The membrane surrounding a cell that separates the cell from its external environment. It consists of a phospholipid bilayer and associated proteins.

A protective structure surrounding some fungi and bacteria, attached externally to the cell wall and composed primarily of polysaccharides. Capsules are highly organized structures that adhere strongly to cells and cannot be easily removed. Capsules play important roles in pathogenicity, preventing phagocytosis by other cells, adherance, and resistance to dessication.