What is the cell wall of bacteria made of?

What is the cell wall of bacteria made of?

• A. Lipopolysaccharide
• B. Chitin
• C. Nucleic acids
• D. Peptidoglycan

Answer: (D)

Bacteria have a rigid cell wall made primarily of peptidoglycan, a mesh-like network of sugar chains cross-linked by short peptides. This structure gives the cell its shape and helps protect it from bursting in hypotonic environments. Lipopolysaccharide is part of the outer membrane in Gram-negative bacteria, not the main wall itself; chitin is found in fungal cell walls; nucleic acids are the genetic material, not the wall. Peptidoglycan is specifically the material that defines bacterial cell walls and is a common antibiotic target.

Bacteria have a rigid cell wall made primarily of peptidoglycan, a mesh-like network of sugar chains cross-linked by short peptides. This structure gives the cell its shape and helps protect it from bursting in hypotonic environments. Lipopolysaccharide is part of the outer membrane in Gram-negative bacteria, not the main wall itself; chitin is found in fungal cell walls; nucleic acids are the genetic material, not the wall. Peptidoglycan is specifically the material that defines bacterial cell walls and is a common antibiotic target.