Peptidoglycan

Peptidoglycans are structural components of bacterial cell walls. The peptidoglycan layer is thicker in Gram-positive bacteria than in Gram-negative bacteria.

Chemical structure

The peptidoglycan layer in the bacterial cell wall is a lattice structure formed from linear chains of two alternating amino sugars, namely N-acetyl glucosamine[?] (GlcNAc) and N-acetyl muramic acid[?] (MurNAc). Each MurNAc is attached to a short (5 residues) amino acid chain. Cross links between amino acids in different linear amino sugar chains result in a 2-dimensional sheet that is strong and rigid. The exact amino acid sequence and the exact overall structure vary with the bacterial species.

Biological purpose

Peptidoglycans serve a structural role, giving bacterial cell walls their shape and strength and counteracting the osmotic pressure of the cytoplasm.

		Peptidoglycan
		Peptidoglycans are structural components of bacterial cell walls. The peptidoglycan layer is thicker in Gram-positive bacteria than in Gram-negative bacteria. Chemical structure The peptidoglycan layer in the bacterial cell wall is a lattice structure formed from linear chains of two alternating amino sugars, namely N-acetyl glucosamine[?] (GlcNAc) and N-acetyl muramic acid[?] (MurNAc). Each MurNAc is attached to a short (5 residues) amino acid chain. Cross links between amino acids in different linear amino sugar chains result in a 2-dimensional sheet that is strong and rigid. The exact amino acid sequence and the exact overall structure vary with the bacterial species. Biological purpose Peptidoglycans serve a structural role, giving bacterial cell walls their shape and strength and counteracting the osmotic pressure of the cytoplasm.
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