Bactoprenol is a lipid first identified in certain species of lactobacili bacteria. It is a hydrophobic alcohol that plays a key role in the growth of cell walls (peptidoglycan) in Gram-positive bacteria.
Bactoprenol is thought to play a key role in the formation of cell walls in gram-positive bacteria by cycling peptidoglycan monomers through the plasma membrane and inserting these monomers at points of growth in the bacterial cell wall.