Archaeal Cell Wall Types and Functions

Archaeal cell walls protect archaea and help them survive in extreme environments. Unlike bacterial cell walls, they do not have the peptidoglycan layer found in most bacteria. Instead, archaea use a range of materials, including proteins, polysaccharides, and pseudomurein, to build their outer layer.

Archaeal cell walls are distinct from bacterial cell walls as they lack peptidoglycan.

The most common type of archaeal cell wall is the S-layer, comprising interlocked copies of a single protein or glycoprotein molecule anchored to the plasma membrane.

These surface-layer proteins self-assemble into highly organized symmetries, such...