Animal cells do not have a cell wall.The cell wall of plant cells is made of cellulose and the cell wall of fungi is made of chitin.Chitin is a polysaccharide similar to cellulose in chemical structure and is the second most abundant polysaccharide in nature.The monomer for cellulose is beta-glucose.The monomer for chitin is N-acetyl glucosamine (NAG).
Prokaryotic cell walls are made of peptidoglycan(or murein) a complex polysaccharide made from amino-acids and sugars.The bacterial cell wall protects bacteria from osmotic pressure and helps preserve the structure of the bacterial cell.Bacteria can be classified into Gram negative and Gram positive bacteria based on the ability of their cell wall to retain the Gram stain.Gram positive bacteria are surrounded by a single thick peptidoglycan cell wall whereas Gram negative bacteria have a much thinner peptidoglycan cell wall and an outer membrane containing lipopolysaccharides surrounding the cell.[FYI: Peptidoglycan is made of alternating N-acetylglucosamine (NAG) and N-acetylmuramic acid (NAM). Attached to the N-acetylmuramic acid is an oligopeptide chain made of three to five amino acids.]
Prokaryotic cell walls are made of peptidoglycan(or murein) a complex polysaccharide made from amino-acids and sugars.The bacterial cell wall protects bacteria from osmotic pressure and helps preserve the structure of the bacterial cell.Bacteria can be classified into Gram negative and Gram positive bacteria based on the ability of their cell wall to retain the Gram stain.Gram positive bacteria are surrounded by a single thick peptidoglycan cell wall whereas Gram negative bacteria have a much thinner peptidoglycan cell wall and an outer membrane containing lipopolysaccharides surrounding the cell.[FYI: Peptidoglycan is made of alternating N-acetylglucosamine (NAG) and N-acetylmuramic acid (NAM). Attached to the N-acetylmuramic acid is an oligopeptide chain made of three to five amino acids.]