The peptidoglycan layer within the bacterial cell wall is a crystal lattice structure formed from linear chains of two alternating amino sugars, namely N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc or NAG) and N-acetylmuramic acid (MurNAc or NAM). The alternating sugars are connected by a β-(1,4)-glycosidic bond. Each MurNAc is attached to a short (4- to 5-residue) amino acid chain, containing -alanine, -glutamic acid, meso-diaminopimelic acid, and -alanine in the case of Escherichia coli (a Gram-negative bacterium) or -alanine, -glutamine, -lysine, and -alanine with a 5-glycine interbridge between tetrapeptides in the case of Staphylococcus aureus (a Gram-positive bacterium). Peptidoglycan is one of the most important sources of D-amino acids in nature.
By enclosing the inner membrane, the peptidoglycan layer protects the cell from lysis caused by the turgor pressure of the cell. When the cell wall grows, it retains its shape throughout its life, so a rod shape will remain a rod shape, and a spherical shape will remain a spherical shape for life. This happens because the freshly added septal material of synthesis transforms into a hemispherical wall for the offspring cells.
Cross-linking between amino acids in different linear amino sugar chains occurs with the help of the enzyme DD-transpeptidase and results in a 3-dimensional structure that is strong and rigid. The specific amino acid sequence and molecular structure vary with the bacterial species.
The different peptidoglycan types of bacterial cell walls and their taxonomic implications have been described. Archaea (domain Archaea) do not contain peptidoglycan (murein). Some Archaea contain pseudopeptidoglycan (pseudomurein, see below).
Peptidoglycan is involved in binary fission during bacterial cell reproduction. L-form bacteria and mycoplasmas, both lacking peptidoglycan cell walls, do not proliferate by binary fission, but by a budding mechanism.
In the course of early evolution, the successive development of boundaries (membranes, walls) protecting first structures of life against their environment must have been essential for the formation of the first cells (cellularisation).
The invention of rigid peptidoglycan (murein) cell walls in bacteria (domain Bacteria) was probably the prerequisite for their survival, extensive radiation and colonisation of virtually all habitats of the geosphere and hydrosphere.