This lipid buffers membrane fluidity.
What is cholesterol?
This small polar molecule crosses via aquaporins.
What is water?
A red blood cell in hypertonic solution does this.
What is shrink?
This cytoskeletal element is the largest and serves as “train tracks” for motor proteins.
What are microtubules?
These junctions prevent leakage of molecules between epithelial cells.
What are tight junctions?
These molecules are responsible for cell–cell recognition.
What are glycoproteins?
This transport uses sodium ion gradients.
What is active transport?
Desert lizards have more of these fatty acids.
What are saturated fats
This element is the smallest, made of actin monomers, and is key for cell shape and movement.
What are microfilaments?
These junctions connect animal cells through intermediate filaments to provide tissue strength.
What are desmosomes?
These proteins penetrate the hydrophobic core.
What are integral proteins?
O₂, CO₂, and steroid hormones cross this way.
What is diffusion?
Polar fish have more of these fatty acids.
What are unsaturated fats?
This cytoskeletal element is the most stable and provides strength instead of motility.
What are intermediate filaments?
These junctions allow ions and small molecules to pass directly between animal cells.
What are gap junctions?
The “mosaic” in the fluid mosaic model refers to diversity of these.
What are proteins?
The hydrophobic core blocks these particles.
What are ions?
Without cholesterol, membranes lose this.
What is stability?
Kinesin moves cargo toward the cell edge, while this motor protein moves cargo inward to the center.
What is dynein?
These plant structures are the functional equivalent of gap junctions.
What are plasmodesmata?
These fatty acids keep membranes fluid in cold environments.
What are unsaturated fats?
Why can’t ions like Na⁺ or H⁺ cross without transport proteins?
What is the hydrophobic membrane?
The combination of lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates in membranes is described by this model.
What is the fluid mosaic model?
Integrins link the cytoskeleton to this structure outside the cell.
What is the extracellular matrix?
The rapid spread of ions in cardiac muscle for synchronized contractions depends on these junctions.
What are gap junctions?