ChitinChitin lies in the wall's inner layer. Its unbranched chains pack tightly side by side, which makes the wall strong.
Beta-1,3-glucanThe main structural part of the wall. Long chains of glucose, to which the other parts of the wall are linked.
MannoproteinsProteins that carry chains of the sugar mannose. They pack the outer layer of the wall.
Plasma membraneThe membrane of the cell, just under the wall. The enzymes that make chitin and glucan sit in it.
The wall 2
Beta-1,6-glucanSide chains of glucose that tie the mannoproteins to the layer beneath. They link the outer coat to the core of glucan and chitin.
Cell wallEverything that lies outside the plasma membrane. The wall gives the cell its shape and protects it.
In the membrane 3
Glucan synthaseAn enzyme complex set in the plasma membrane. It makes the beta-1,3-glucan chains of the wall.
Chitin synthaseAn enzyme set in the plasma membrane. It lays down chitin chains just outside the membrane.
ErgosterolThe main sterol of fungal membranes. It does much the same job that cholesterol does in an animal cell.
How this list was compiled: Every name was checked on 2026-10-01 and kept only where two independent sources use it for the fungal wall. (1) Wikipedia, text only: Cell wall (the section on fungal cell walls), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_wall , and Ergosterol, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ergosterol . (2) Garcia-Rubio, de Oliveira, Rivera and Trevijano-Contador, The Fungal Cell Wall: Candida, Cryptococcus, and Aspergillus Species, Frontiers in Microbiology 10 (2020), an open-access review read in full through Europe PMC, https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC6962315 . (3) Three more journal abstracts read through Europe PMC: on beta-1,6-glucan, https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13604645 ; on the wall proteins, https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC8466366 ; on ergosterol in lipid membranes, https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC1403193 . (4) Schuster, Guiu-Aragones and Steinberg, Fungal Genetics and Biology 135 (2020), abstract read through Europe PMC, for the names of the two enzymes, https://europepmc.org/article/MED/31672687 . Licence: own work
The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-10-01 from plain geometry; nothing traced. Licence: own work
How it works
This fungi cell wall diagram is a slice through the wall of a yeast, cytoplasm at the bottom and the outside of the cell at the top. Tap a name to read about the part, then press Quiz me.
Read the full guide
Read it from the bottom up
The plasma membrane is the double row of lipids. Above it lie the chitin rods, then the long ribbons of beta-1,3-glucan. Strings of beta-1,6-glucan tie the ribbons to the mannoproteins at the top.
Two enzymes sit in the membrane
Glucan synthase is the tall one with a foot in the cytoplasm, pushing a new ribbon up into the wall. Chitin synthase is the pair of ovals. The short pegs among the lipids are ergosterol.
The bracket marks the wall. The plasma membrane below it is not part of the wall.
Questions and answers
What is the fungal cell wall made of?
Mainly of chitin, glucans and glycoproteins. Chitin and beta-1,3-glucan form the strong inner layer. Mannoproteins, proteins that carry chains of the sugar mannose, pack the outer layer.
What does the fungal cell wall do?
It gives the cell its shape and its rigidity, and it protects what is inside the cell from stress.
Where is chitin in the fungal cell wall?
In the inner layer, next to the plasma membrane. Chitin synthase, an enzyme that sits in the membrane, lays the chitin chains down just outside it.
Is ergosterol part of the fungal cell wall?
No. Ergosterol is a sterol of the plasma membrane, which lies under the wall. It does much the same job there that cholesterol does in the membrane of an animal cell.