Peptidoglycan

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One repeating unit of the polymer
The overall shape of peptidoglycan

Peptidoglycan or murein is a polymer that makes up the cell walls of bacteria. It is made of many sugars (or monosaccharides), and amino acids.

Peptidoglycan is made of chains of sugars. Each chain has N-acetylglucosamine and N-acetylmuramic acid, one after the other. The chains are linked to each other by 4-5 amino acids, and other sugar molecules, such as glycine.[1]

References[change | change source]

  1. Voet, Donald; Voet, Judith G. (2011). Biochemistry (4th ed.). John Wiley & Sons, Inc. pp. 376. ISBN 9780470570951.