Section 4
Cell Walls of Prokaryotes
Book
Version 6
By Boundless
By Boundless
Boundless Microbiology
Microbiology
by Boundless
6 concepts
![Thumbnail](../../../../../../figures.boundless-cdn.com/11476/raw/average-prokaryote-cell-en.jpg)
The Cell Wall of Bacteria
Bacteria are protected by a rigid cell wall composed of peptidoglycans.
![Thumbnail](../../../../../../figures.boundless-cdn.com/11593/raw/gram-negative-cell-wall.jpg)
Gram-Negative Outer Membrane
The Gram-negative cell wall is composed of an outer membrane, a peptidoglygan layer, and a periplasm.
![Thumbnail](../../../../../../figures.boundless-cdn.com/11587/square/22-193829-bacteria-smb-uti.jpeg)
Gram-Positive Cell Envelope
Gram-positive bacteria have cell envelopes made of a thick layer of peptidoglycans.
![Thumbnail](../../../../../../figures.boundless-cdn.com/11610/square/aver-newcastle-university.jpeg)
Mycoplasmas and Other Cell-Wall-Deficient Bacteria
Some bacteria lack a cell wall but retain their ability to survive by living inside another host cell.
![Thumbnail](../../../../../../figures.boundless-cdn.com/31170/square/halobacteria.jpeg)
Cell Walls of Archaea
Archaeal cell walls differ from bacterial cell walls in their chemical composition and lack of peptidoglycans.
![Thumbnail](../../../../../../figures.boundless-cdn.com/11646/raw/penicillin-inhibition.jpg)
Damage to the Cell Wall
The cell wall is responsible for bacterial cell survival and protection against environmental factors and antimicrobial stress.