Which of the following statements accurately describes bacterial cell walls?

• A. All bacterial cell walls are composed primarily of cellulose.
• B. Bacterial cell walls are identical in structure to eukaryotic cell walls.
• C. Gram-negative bacterial cell walls lack peptidoglycan entirely.
• D. Gram-positive bacterial cell walls contain a thick layer of peptidoglycan.

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Understand the composition of bacterial cell walls: Bacterial cell walls are primarily made of peptidoglycan, a polymer consisting of sugars and amino acids that provides structural strength.
2. Recognize that cellulose is a component of plant cell walls, not bacterial cell walls, so the statement about all bacterial cell walls being composed primarily of cellulose is incorrect.
3. Know that eukaryotic cell walls (found in plants, fungi, and some protists) differ significantly from bacterial cell walls in composition and structure, so bacterial cell walls are not identical to eukaryotic cell walls.
4. Recall that Gram-negative bacterial cell walls have a thin layer of peptidoglycan located between the inner cytoplasmic membrane and an outer membrane, so they do not lack peptidoglycan entirely.
5. Identify that Gram-positive bacterial cell walls are characterized by a thick layer of peptidoglycan, which retains the crystal violet stain during Gram staining, making this statement accurate.