Picture of a generalised Gram negative archaeal cell wall. The mushroom like structures at the surface represent the S-layer. S-layers are protein lattices that envelop the cell and confer great strength. They are arranged in a crystalline fashion and are anchored into the underlying cell membrane. Such robust cell walls are crucial for those archaeans (extremophiles) that live in (to us) extreme environmemts.

Picture of a generalised Gram positive archaeal cell wall (with an S-layer at left - may or may not be present).

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