plasma membrane

• what is another name for the plasma membrane?

  cell surface membrane
• what does the plasma membrane consist of?

  • phospholipids
  • cholesterol
  • proteins
  • glycoproteins
  • glycolipids
• what does the plasma membrane look like under a light microscope?

  1 thin line
• what does the cell surface membrane look like under an electron microscope?


  2 separate lines
• what do phospholipids form in the cell surface membrane?

  bilayer sheets
• which way do the phospholipid heads point in the plasma membrane?

  the hydrophobic heads point both

  • inwards towards the cell cytoplasm
  • outwards towards the environment
• where do the phospholipid tails point in the cell surface membrane?

  the hydrophobic tails point inwards towards the membrane
• what is the model for the plasma membrane called?

  Fluid mosaic model
• why is the 'fluid' in fluid mosaic model significant?

  phospholipids can move freely latterly so plasma membranes are fluid
• why is the 'mosaic' in fluid mosaic model significant?

  • proteins are embedded within bilayers in a mosaic pattern,
  • proteins are distributed randomly
• why is 'model' in fluid mosaic model?


  it is called a model because its based on experimental and chemical tests