What connects layers of peptidoglycan to each other?
Posted June 30, 2021
Answer
Peptidoglycan layers are connected by teichoic acids. Teichoic acids are linear polymers made up of polyglycerol or polyribitol substituted with phosphates and a few amino acids and sugars. These teichoic acid polymers run perpendicular to the peptidoglycan layers connecting them to each other.
The presence of teichoic acid is unique to Gram-positive bacteria, which have multiple layers of peptidoglycan in their cell wall. Gram-negative bacteria have only one layer of peptidoglycan in their cell wall
Additional resources
MycoLight™ Rapid Fluorescence Gram-Positive Bacteria Staining Kit