HP 131 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Lipid Raft, Fluid Mosaic Model, Lipid Bilayer

• School: Skidmore College
• Department: Health and Exercise Science
• Course: HP 131
• Professor: Dr. Elaine Larsen

Document Summary

Cell: basic structural and functional unit of living organisms. All cells composed mostly of carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen (chon) Separates intracellular fluid within cells and extracellular fluid outside. Fluid mosaic model: plasma membrane is a thin double layer of lipid molecules w/protein molecules plugged into it (lipid bilayer) Phospholipids : lollipop-shaped molecules with a polar head and hydrophobic. Tail (unpolarized) that forms into 2 parallel sheets tail to tail because of the polar properties of the membrane-- most unsaturated, causing kinks in tails and increasing membrane fluidity. Glycolipids : lipids with attached sugar groups found on outer plasma membrane surface (5% of total membrane lipids), sugar groups make the end of molecule polar, while fatty tails are nonpolar. Cholesterol : 20% of membrane lipids, have polar region (hydroxyl group) and nonpolar region (fused ring system), wedges hydrocarbon rings between phospholipid tails, stabilizing the membrane.