difference between Gram positive cell wall and Gram negative cell wall.

Gram Positive Cell Wall:

Gram-positive bacteria have a thick mesh-like cell wall which is made up of peptidoglycan (50-90% of cell wall), which stains purple.  Peptidoglycan is mainly a polysaccharide composed of two subunits called N-acetyl glucosamine and N-acetyl muramic acid. As adjacent layers of peptidoglycan are formed, they are cross linked by short chains of peptides by means of a transpeptidase enzyme, resulting in the shape and rigidity of the cell wall. The thick peptidoglycan layer of Gram-positive organisms allows these organisms to retain the crystal violet-iodine complex and stains the cells as  purple.

gram positive cell wall (c) pic frm

Lipoteichoic acid (LTA) is another major constituent of the cell wall of Gram-positive bacteria which is embedded in the peptidoglycan layer.   It consists of teichoic acids which are long chains of ribitol phosphate anchored to the lipid bilayer via a glyceride. It acts as regulator of autolytic wall enzymes (muramidases: Bacterial enzymes located in the cell wall that cause disintegration of the cell following injury or death.)

Gram Negative Cell Wall:

Gram-negative bacteria have a thinner layer of peptidoglycan (10% of the cell wall) and lose the crystal violet-iodine complex during decolorization with the alcohol rinse, but retain the counter stain Safranin, thus appearing reddish or pink. They also have an additional outer membrane which contains lipids,  which is separated from the cell wall by means of  periplasmic space.

 pic(C)picamvl