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Archaeal Cell Walls

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Archaeal cell walls never contain peptidoglycan, building walls from pseudopeptidoglycan, polysaccharides, glycoproteins, or protein alone, depending on the species.

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Pseudopeptidoglycan resembles peptidoglycan in structure but uses different sugars, making it resistant to enzymes that break down true peptidoglycan.

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The presence or absence of peptidoglycan, not wall thickness, is the defining structural line between bacterial and archaeal cell walls.