Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Semi-Quantitative Analysis of Peptidoglycan by Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry and Bioinformatics
Published on: October 13, 2020
Architecture of peptidoglycan: more data and more models
Waldemar Vollmer1, Stephen J Seligman
1Centre for Bacterial Cell Biology, Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences, Newcastle University, Framlington Place, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4HH, UK. w.vollmer@ncl.ac.uk
None:
Peptidoglycan forms a net-like sacculus made of glycan strands crosslinked by peptides. The length of the glycan strands and the degree of crosslinkage vary with bacterial species, strains and growth conditions. Several models for the three-dimensional architecture of peptidoglycan have been proposed, some of which have been tested experimentally. The new data support a layered model in Gram-negative bacteria, and a more elaborate peptidoglycan architecture, with bands made of coiled bundles of glycan strands, in the rod-shaped Bacillus subtilis. However, many questions remain unanswered and, therefore, more data and more models are required to decipher the complex cell wall architecture in bacteria.
Related Concept Videos
Peptidoglycan Synthesis
Archaeal Cell Wall
Bacterial Cell Wall
Inhibitors of Gram-positive Cell Wall Synthesis
Cytoskeletal Proteins in Bacteria
Molecular Models

