what is the cell wall of bacteria made of

11 months ago 17
Nature

The cell wall of most bacteria is made of a polymer called peptidoglycan, which is composed of sugars and amino acids. The peptidoglycan molecule is composed of two derivatives of glucose, N-acetylglucosamine (NAG) and N-acetlymuramic acid (NAM), with a pentapeptide coming off NAM and varying slightly among bacteria/04%3A_Cell_Structure_of_Bacteria_Archaea_and_Eukaryotes/4.04%3A_Cell_Walls_of_Prokaryotes/4.4A%3A_The_Cell_Wall_of_Bacteria). The NAG and NAM strands are synthesized in the cytosol of the bacteria and are connected by inter-peptide bridges/04%3A_Cell_Structure_of_Bacteria_Archaea_and_Eukaryotes/4.04%3A_Cell_Walls_of_Prokaryotes/4.4A%3A_The_Cell_Wall_of_Bacteria). The cell wall of Gram-positive bacteria is composed predominantly of peptidoglycan, which can represent up to 90% of the cell wall, with layer after layer forming around the cell membrane/04%3A_Bacteria%3A_Cell_Walls)/04%3A_Cell_Structure_of_Bacteria_Archaea_and_Eukaryotes/4.04%3A_Cell_Walls_of_Prokaryotes/4.4A%3A_The_Cell_Wall_of_Bacteria). The cell walls of Gram-negative bacteria are more complex than those of Gram-positive bacteria, with more ingredients overall. They contain peptidoglycan as well, although only a couple of layers, representing 5-10% of the total cell wall/04%3A_Bacteria%3A_Cell_Walls). The cell wall of Gram-positive bacteria is a complex assemblage of glycopolymers and proteins, consisting of a thick peptidoglycan sacculus that surrounds the cytoplasmic membrane and that is decorated with teichoic acids, polysaccharides, and proteins.