Bacterial cell membrane and cell wall

The bacterial cell wall is a rigid, mesh-like layer composed primarily of peptidoglycan, encasing the cell membrane, and is essential for protection against osmotic lysis, maintenance of cell shape, and structural integrity[2][1][3][7]. Gram-positive bacteria possess thick peptidoglycan layers with teichoic acids, while Gram-negative bacteria have thinner cell walls, an outer membrane containing lipopolysaccharide, and a periplasmic space[1][2][3]. The cell membrane is a selectively permeable lipid bilayer that controls molecular transport, energy transduction, and houses biosynthetic enzymes; it is also involved in respiration and supports cell division[5][4][1]. These structures are targets for diverse antibiotics that exploit their unique bacterial features, but may also trigger resistance mechanisms and host toxicity[1][2][3][7].

Other names

cell envelopecell boundarymembrane/wall complex

Inhibition of peptidoglycan crosslinking (β-lactams); Disruption of membrane integrity (polymyxins, daptomycin); Blockage of biosynthetic enzymes (e.g., penicillin-binding proteins, glycosyltransferases)