What are some components of the plasma membrane?

Answer 1

Plasma membranes are made up of phospholipids, these molecules are composed of fatty acid chains that are hydrophobic and phosphate group that are hydrophilic. Due to the properties of these subunits, phospholipids arrange themselves in a bilayer arrangement. The membrane also contains an abundance of proteins that may have various functions such as transport, identification and more.

Answer 2

The plasma membrane is composed firstly with special amphipathic (being both hydrophilic in one area and hydrophobic in another) lipids. The most abundant is the phospholipid, a molecule with a hydrophilic phosphate group 'head' and two hydrophobic fatty acid chains for tails The tails normally try to get away from the polar water and so aggregate together, leaving the phosphate group heads to interact with the aquatic environment, both extracellularly and intracellularly. This forms a lipid bilayer, a membrane of two layers of lipids.

Other lipids include glycolipids (lipids with carbohydrated attached), which play a role in cell recognition and provide energy, and cholesterol, which takes up space on and in the lipid bilayer, thereby increasing membrane fluidity and permeability.

Other vital components of the membrane are proteins. Proteins play a crucial role in the membrane as gateways for molecules that would not be able to pass through the hydrophobic centers of the lipid bilayer, or at least, not pass through quickly enough. Such molecules include chared molecules like ions, and various other polar molecules like water. Larger molecules may also need to go through proteins. Such proteins are typically transmembrane, or integral, proteins. Proteins can also be embedded completely into the membrane (lipid anchored) or attached superficially to the side of it (peripheral). Their other important roles are in cell-to-cell communication, enzymatic activity, and surface recognition, to name a few.

Carbohydrates are also components of the cell, predominantly in conjunction with proteins (as glycoproteins) but also as previously mentioned with lipids (as glycolipids)

Answer 3

A phospholipid bilayer, channel proteins for transport of molecules, carbohydrate chains for recognition and identification.

Answer 4

Phospholipid bilayer which consist of hydrophobic tail (repelled by water) and hydrophilic head (attracted to water).The other component are cholestrol.

Answer 5

Phospholipids and protein

Answer 6

physopholipids