EVERYDAY SCIENCE

Detailed explanation-1: -The peptidoglycan (murein) sacculus is a unique and essential structural element in the cell wall of most bacteria. Made of glycan strands cross-linked by short peptides, the sacculus forms a closed, bag-shaped structure surrounding the cytoplasmic membrane.

Detailed explanation-2: -Peptidoglycan is made up of two repeating amino sugars, N-acetylglucosamine (NAG) and N-acetylmuramic acid (NAM), and a peptide of multiple amino acids is attached to each NAM unit.

Detailed explanation-3: -Gram-negative bacteria are surrounded by a thin peptidoglycan cell wall, which itself is surrounded by an outer membrane containing lipopolysaccharide. Gram-positive bacteria lack an outer membrane but are surrounded by layers of peptidoglycan many times thicker than is found in the Gram-negatives.

Detailed explanation-4: -Cell Wall Peptidoglycans: Both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria possess cell wall peptidoglycans, which confer the characteristic cell shape and provide the cell with mechanical protection.