Cell Walls of Prokaryotes

Bacteria are protected by a rigid cell wall composed of peptidoglycans.

The Gram-negative cell wall is composed of an outer membrane, a peptidoglygan layer, and a periplasm.

Gram-positive bacteria have cell envelopes made of a thick layer of peptidoglycans.

Some bacteria lack a cell wall but retain their ability to survive by living inside another host cell.

Archaeal cell walls differ from bacterial cell walls in their chemical composition and lack of peptidoglycans.

The cell wall is responsible for bacterial cell survival and protection against environmental factors and antimicrobial stress.