Cell Membrane Structure Flashcards
What is the structure of a phospholipid?
A phospholipid has a hydrophilic head and a hydrophobic tail.
Since phospholipids have hydrophilic and hydrophobic parts, what are they called?
Amphipathic
Are phospholipid tails saturated or unsaturated?
They can be both.
What type of phospholipid tails are straight?
Saturated phospholipid tails.
What type of phospholipid tails are bent?
Unsaturated phospholipid tails.
Why are unsaturated phospholipid tails bent?
The presence of a double bond.
Does the straightness of phospholipid tails change based on fluid content?
Yes, the more fluid there is, the more bent they are.
What is the primary molecule of the cell membrane?
Phospholipids.
How are phospholipids synthesized?
Through the endoplasmic reticulum.
How are phospholipids transported?
They are transported as vesicles to the cell membrane.
Who proposed the idea of a phospholipid bilayer?
Gorter and Grendel in 1925.
What does the fluidity of the cell membrane allow for?
It allows for materials to move through the cell membrane via endo and exocytosis.
Who discovered membranes are made of lipids?
Overton (1899)
Who discovered membranes are a lipid bilayer made of phospholipids that have a hydrophilic head and a hydrophobic tail?
Gorter and Grendel (1925)
Who discovered the membrane includes globular protein molecules attached to each side of the lipid bilayer?
Davson and Danielli (1935)
