Abstract

Most bacterial, plant and fungal cells possess at their surface a protective layer called the cell wall, conferring strength, plasticity and rigidity to withstand the osmotic pressure. This molecular barrier is crucial for pathogenic microorganisms, as it protects the cell from the local environment and often constitutes the first structural component encountered in the host-pathogen interaction. In pathogenic molds and yeasts, the cell wall constitutes the main target for the development of clinically-relevant antifungal drugs. In the past decade, solid-state NMR has emerged as a powerful analytical technique to investigate the molecular organization of microbial cell walls in the context of intact cells.