A bacterium is a prokaryote: it has no membrane-bound nucleus. Its DNA sits in the nucleoid region, and the cell is protected by a wall and often a capsule, with pili and flagella on the outside.
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Key points
DNA is a single circular chromosome in the nucleoid, with no nuclear envelope.
Plasmids are small extra circles of DNA that can carry genes such as antibiotic resistance.
The peptidoglycan cell wall gives shape and is the target of many antibiotics.
