Tuesday, November 9, 2010

fluid mosaic model of a cell membrane

The fluid mosaic model poster shows the parts of the cell membrane.
the cell membrane is made of phospholipids  which provide the support for the cell. a phospholipid has a backbone derived from a three-carbon molecule called glycerol, and attached to the molecule are fatty acids. there are two fatty acids attached to each phospholipid polar head. it is in a bilayer, the polar heads are on the outside because they are hydrophillic and the fatty acid tails are inside: hydrophobic. The lipid bilayers that are made from the phospholipids are fluid and not rigid because of the hydrogen bonding that holds it together. they are less fluid when fatty acids are aligned. the proteins help transport molecules across the membrane or any other function needed by the type of protein.

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