Muramic acid is an amino
sugar acid
In organic chemistry, a sugar acid or acidic sugar is a monosaccharide with a carboxyl group at one end or both ends of its Polymer backbone, chain.
Main classes of sugar acids include:
* Aldonic acids, in which the aldehyde group () located at t ...
. In terms of chemical composition, it is the
ether of
lactic acid and
glucosamine. It occurs naturally as
''N''-acetylmuramic acid in
peptidoglycan
Peptidoglycan or murein is a unique large macromolecule, a polysaccharide, consisting of sugars and amino acids that forms a mesh-like layer (sacculus) that surrounds the bacterial cytoplasmic membrane. The sugar component consists of alternating ...
, whose primary function is a structural component of many typical bacterial
cell wall
A cell wall is a structural layer that surrounds some Cell type, cell types, found immediately outside the cell membrane. It can be tough, flexible, and sometimes rigid. Primarily, it provides the cell with structural support, shape, protection, ...
s.
References
Sugar acids
Amino sugars
{{amine-stub