alleryStart learning →Which material forms the cell wall of a bacterium?
APeptidoglycan, a cross-linked polymer
BCellulose, a plant-type wall polymer
CChitin, the wall polymer of fungi
DCholesterol, a membrane sterol lipid
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. Peptidoglycan, a cross-linked polymer
1. The bacterial wall is built from peptidoglycan, polysaccharide chains cross-linked by unusual peptides.
2. Those peptides carry both L- and D-amino acids, which is what makes the wall a drug target.
3. Cellulose walls belong to plants, and chitin walls belong to fungi and insects, not to bacteria.
4. Cholesterol is a lipid, so it could never give the wall its rigid cross-linked mesh.
_Source: OpenStax Biology (1st ed., CC BY 4.0), Ch 22 "Prokaryotes: Bacteria and Archaea", section 22.2 Structure of Prokaryotes_
Keep practising Bacteriology
Browse all Bacteriology questions for NCK Licensing Exam (Nursing), or explore more Microbiology topics.
Related questions
Catch the prokaryotic parts onlySplit helpful microbes from harmfulName the microbe behind each clueBuild a biofilm stage by stageSort the two Gram stain groupsWhich structure lets some soil bacteria survive heat and drought until conditions improve?Commensal bacteria on the skin and in the gut benefit their human host in which way?How do bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa help clear mercury pollution?