BIOL107 Chapter Notes - Chapter 3: Lipid Bilayer, Fluid Mosaic Model, Unsaturated Hydrocarbon

• School: University of Alberta
• Department: Biology (Biological Sciences)
• Course: BIOL107
• Professor: Kirstin Veugelers

Document Summary

Allows certain substances to cross more easily than others. Has regions that are both hydrophobic and hydrophilic. Can exist as a stable boundary between two aqueous compartments because its molecular arrangement shelters the hydrophobic tails of the phospholipids from water while exposing the hydrophilic heads. They can reside in the phospholipid bilayer with their hydrophilic regions protruding. Currently accepted model of the arrangement of molecules in the plasma membrane of animals. The membrane is a mosaic of protein molecules bobbing in a fluid bilayer of phospholipids. Proteins are usually distributed in groups that are associated with long lasting, specialized patches where they carry out a common function. The membrane is held together primarily by hydrophobic interactions. Most of the lipids and some of the proteins can shift about laterally. The lateral movement of the phospholipids is very rapid. Some proteins seem to be bound by their attachement to the cytoskeleton or extracellular matrix.