Transport
,Membrane Structure and
Function
,Overview: Life at the Edge
The plasma membrane is the boundary that
separates the living cell from its surroundings
The plasma membrane exhibits selective
permeability, allowing some substances to cross
it more easily than others
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
, Cellular membranes are fluid mosaics
of lipids and proteins
Phospholipids are the most abundant lipid in the
plasma membrane
Phospholipids are amphipathic molecules,
meaning they containing hydrophobic and
hydrophilic regions.
The fluid mosaic model states that a membrane
is a fluid structure with a “mosaic” of various
proteins embedded in it
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
,Membrane Structure and
Function
,Overview: Life at the Edge
The plasma membrane is the boundary that
separates the living cell from its surroundings
The plasma membrane exhibits selective
permeability, allowing some substances to cross
it more easily than others
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
, Cellular membranes are fluid mosaics
of lipids and proteins
Phospholipids are the most abundant lipid in the
plasma membrane
Phospholipids are amphipathic molecules,
meaning they containing hydrophobic and
hydrophilic regions.
The fluid mosaic model states that a membrane
is a fluid structure with a “mosaic” of various
proteins embedded in it
© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc.
