Chapter 1: Cell Membrane Flashcards
What does a cell membrane do?
Maintains the contents of the cell and regulates movement of substances into and out of the cell
What does the fluid mosaic phospholipid bilayer model suggest about cell membranes?
It describes them as having a double layer of lipids, a lipid bilayer, that has the ability to change shape
What are phospholipids?
Is a type of lipid where the head is hydrophobic and the tail is hydrophobic; a major component of cell membranes
What is the role of cholesterol in the cell membrane?
It is an essential structural component that stabilises and strengthens the membrane and maintains it at a suitable fluidity
What is the plant version of cholesterol?
Phytosterol
How are cell membranes fluid?
During cell division and vesicle formation, membranes can break apart and reassemble themselves
What are the advantages of having a fluid membrane?
It enables cells to repair themselves before some of the cytoplasm can leak out
What is the function of protein channels?
Protein channels act as a passageway that allows specific substances to move across the membrane
What is passive movement?
Movement that does not require energy
What is diffusion?
The passive movement of molecules from a region of high concentration to region of low concentration
What is the concentration gradient?
The difference in concentration of a substance between two different regions
What happens when an equilibrium is reached?
Particles will move at equal rates in all directions
What can increase the rate of diffusion?
Temperature, due to the particles moving faster with higher temperatures, and increasing the concentration gradient
What substances can easily move through a cell membrane by diffusion?
O2, H2O, CO2, and other small, uncharged particles
What is facilitated diffusion?
A form of diffusion that requires a substance to be attached to a specific carrier molecule to move across a membrane
What particles require facilitated diffusion?
Charged particles, such as sodium and potassium ions, and relatively large molecules, such as glucose and amino acids
What two types of transport proteins are involved in facilitated diffusion?
Carrier proteins and channel proteins