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The fluid mosaic model

  • 2 things to know
  • Papers 1, 2 and 3

Overview

Recall questions on the fluid mosaic model, membrane thickness, intrinsic and extrinsic proteins, cholesterol, glycoproteins, glycolipids and receptors, and the beetroot investigation of how temperature affects membrane permeability.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

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Numbers

State the approximate thickness of a cell surface membrane.

Key term

The cell surface membrane is described as a fluid mosaic. What does each of those two words describe?

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

  1. 1

    The cell surface membrane is described as a fluid mosaic. What does each of those two words describe?

    Model answer

    Fluid refers to the phospholipid molecules being free to move relative to one another within each layer, and mosaic refers to the scattered, patchwork arrangement of differently sized proteins throughout the bilayer.

  2. 2

    State the approximate thickness of a cell surface membrane.

    Model answer

    The cell surface membrane is about 7 nm thick.

  3. 3

    Distinguish between intrinsic and extrinsic membrane proteins.

    Model answer

    Intrinsic (integral) proteins are embedded within the bilayer and often span it completely, whereas extrinsic (peripheral) proteins sit on one surface of the bilayer and do not pass through it.

  4. 4

    What is the role of cholesterol in the cell surface membrane?

    Model answer

    Cholesterol molecules pack between the phospholipid tails, restricting their movement so the membrane is more stable and less fluid, and reducing its permeability to water-soluble substances.

  5. 5

    What is a glycoprotein and what does it do in the membrane?

    Model answer

    A glycoprotein is a membrane protein with a carbohydrate chain attached to its outer surface, and it acts in cell recognition and as a receptor or antigen.

  6. 6

    What is a glycolipid?

    Model answer

    A lipid in the outer layer of the membrane with a carbohydrate chain attached, which acts in cell recognition and helps to stabilise the membrane.

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