1. A polymer that forms the rigid structural component of bacterial cell walls, composed of peptidoglycan.
Usage: technical; microbiology

Examples

• Murein is essential for maintaining the shape and structural integrity of bacterial cells.
• The antibiotic penicillin works by disrupting murein synthesis in bacterial cell walls.
• Gram-positive bacteria have a thick layer of murein in their cell walls.
• Lysozyme is an enzyme that breaks down murein, helping to destroy bacterial cells.
• Scientists study murein composition to understand bacterial resistance to antibiotics.