Bacterial cell wall and fungal cell wall

The bacterial cell wall is a rigid structure surrounding bacterial cells, primarily composed of peptidoglycan, which provides osmotic protection and defines cell shape. Gram-positive bacteria have thick peptidoglycan layers, often with teichoic acids, while Gram-negative bacteria have thinner peptidoglycan and an additional outer membrane. The fungal cell wall is a multilayered structure composed mainly of chitin, β-glucans, and glycoproteins, conferring rigidity, protection, and determining morphology. Both cell wall types are essential for microbial viability and are absent in mammalian cells, making their biosynthetic enzymes prime targets for antimicrobial drugs. Disruption of these walls leads to cell death, and various antibiotics and antifungal drugs act specifically by inhibiting the synthesis of their respective wall components[1][2][3][5][6].

Other names

bacterial cell wallfungal cell wallmicrobial cell wallcell wall (microbial)

Inhibition of peptidoglycan synthesis (bacteria: e.g., β-lactams); Inhibition of chitin or glucan synthesis (fungi: echinocandins inhibit β-1,3-glucan synthase); Disruption of cell wall structure and integrity, causing cell lysis