Fortifying the wall: synthesis, regulation and degradation of bacterial peptidoglycan.

Growth and maintenance of the protective peptidoglycan cell wall are vital to bacterial growth and morphogenesis. Thus, the relative rate and spatiotemporal control of the synthesis and degradation of this net-like polymer defines bacterial cell shape. In recent years, our understanding of the processes that govern this delicate metabolic balance has improved and should lend insight into how to therapeutically target the system in the future.