Question

1. How do bacterial cell envelopes differ from human cell envelopes? What about fungal cell envelopes?

Answer 1

Cell envelope: It is composed of the cell membrane and the cell wall. The cell membrane is made up of phospholipids. It also consists of cholesterol.

A human cell consists of a plasma membrane which is composed of the double-layered lipids and proteins. Plasma membrane or cell membrane is selectively permeable means it allows certain molecules to enter inside the cell and go out as well. There is no cell wall in human cells.

The bacterial cell wall is composed of peptidoglycan or murein. Peptidoglycan is composed of N-acetylglucosamine and N-acetylmuramic acid. They are connected by peptide bonds. There are 2 types of bacteria: Gram-positive and Gram-negative based on their cell wall.

The cell wall of a fungus is made up of chitin. It also consists of mucopolysaccharides, polysaccharides, and glucans etc.