Biological Membranes

Question 1

What are cellular membranes?

Answer 1

-They are around cells to separate organelles from the external environment/Around organelles to separate their contents from the cytoplasm.
-The control the transport of substances in and out of the cell, some contain enzymes/Antigens and may release signalling chemicals

Question 2

What are phospholipids?

Answer 2

-They’re in all cell membranes
-They form lipid bilayers as they are amphiphilic
-They generally consist of one hydrophilic head consisting of a phosphate group and two hydrophobic fatty acid tails

Question 3

What are the components of cell membranes?

Answer 3

Cholesterol
Glycolipids
Glycoproteins
Various Proteins

Question 4

What are the proteins within cell membranes?

Answer 4

Carrier proteins
Channel proteins
Enzymes
Protein receptor sites
Antigens

Question 5

How does the phospholipid bilayer form?

Answer 5

Fatty acids are hydrophobic and the phosphate head is hydrophilic, when mixed with water they spontaneously rearrange themselves to form the lowest free-energy configuration meaning hydrophobic regions find ways to remove themselves from water and hydrophilic regions interact with water.