How do lysozyme and penicillin differ in their effect on cell walls?
Lysozyme is an enzyme that breaks down bacterial cell walls by degrading peptidoglycan, a major component of the cell wall. Penicillin, on the other hand, inhibits the synthesis of peptidoglycan, leading to weakened cell walls and bacterial death. Both lysozyme and penicillin target the cell wall, but they achieve this through different mechanisms.