General
What does the plasma membrane enable cells to do?
Survive and Function
How are phospholipids amphipathic? (Be specific)
They have hydrophilic heads and hydrophobic tails.
Define hydrophobic and hydrophilic
Water repelling, water loving
What does selective permeability mean?
Only certain things can pass through the plasma membrane (permeable to certain molecules)
How is the cell membrane held together?
It is held together by weak hydrophobic interactions.
How does cholesterol help with fluidity?
At warm temperatures, cholesterol restrains the movement of phospholipids.
Define amphipathic.
It means to contain hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions.
How does temperature change the fluidity of the membrane?
As temperatures cool, membranes switch from a fluid to a solid state.
What is the fluid mosaic model?
Diverse protein molecules that are suspended in a fluid phospholipid bilayer.