Roles and structures of membranes.

Question 1

what does the cell membrane, mainly consist of?

Answer 1

A phospholipid bilayer, cholesterol, glycolipids, surface proteins, glycoproteins, and transport proteins.

Question 2

what is the function of the phospholipid bilayer?

Answer 2

control what enters, and leaves the cell.

Question 3

what is Cholesterol, and what is the function of it?

Answer 3

Cholesterol is a lipid that binds to the fatty acid tails of phospholipids.

Its function is to regulate the fluidity of the cell.
It does this by restricting the movement of phospholipids and proteins..

This prevents water/ions from leaving the cell.

Question 4

what is a glycolipid, and what is the function of a glycolipid?

Answer 4

Glycolipid, is a a phospholipid, which is atached to a carbohydrate.

function: Act as recognition sites, for other cells, which allows cells to attach to one another, in order to form a tissue.

Question 5

which 3 types of protein, does a cell membrane contain?

Answer 5

surface proteins, glycoproteins, and transport proteins.

Question 6

what is a surface protein, and what is its function?

Answer 6

A surface protein is a protein found on the inner or outer surface of the phospholipid bilayer.

function: They provide mechanical support for the membrane.

Question 7

what is a glycoprotein, and what is its function?

Answer 7

Glycoproteins, are proteins, that have a carbohydrate attached to them.

function: Either act as recognition sites for foreign cells, or recognition sites for specific chemicals.

Question 8

What is a transport protein, and what is its fucntion.

Answer 8

A transport protein, is a protein which spans the membrane, and helps ytransport substances across the membrane.