Roles of Cell Membranes

Question 1

What are the roles of cell membranes?

Answer 1

they are a partially permeable barrier between cell and its enviroment, organelles and cytoplasm, and within organelles e.g. mitochondria and chloroplasts

they are the site of chemical reactions such as respiration and photosynthesis

site of cell signalling

Question 2

What is cell signalling?

Answer 2

cells in multicellular organisms need to communicate to coordinate their response

1) protein has a specific tertiary structure e.g. hormones / neurotransmitters
2) protein binds to specific receptor with complementary tertiary structure
3) on the cell membrane
4) activates a response