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What is a reasonable explanation for why unsaturated fatty acids help keep any membrane more fluid at lower temperatures?
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
I'm not entirely sure what membranes have to do with it; you'll have to figure that part out for yourself.
However, unsaturated fats (made from unsaturated fatty acids) stay liquid at lower temperatures than saturated fats of around the same molecular weight. Cis-unsaturation in particular helps keep the molecules liquid; trans-unsaturation also works, but not as well.
So ... how? Well, saturated hydrocarbon chains are flexible and can wiggle around all over the place. This makes it easy for them to bend around and find a way to nestle in close with other hydrocarbon chains, so it's easy for them to solidify. Think of it as packing a rope: if it doesn't quite fit, you can just bend it a little until it does.
Introducing double bonds into the system, though, changes things. The chain cannot freely rotate around the double bond, so it represents a stiff part of the rope that won't bend and it's a little more difficult to get them to pack nicely. The end result is that they stay liquid at higher temperatures.
Wiki User
∙ 11y ago
Wiki User
∙ 15y agothe double bonds form a kink in the fatty acid tail forcing adjacent lipids to be further apart.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoThe double bonds form a kink in the fatty acid tail, forcing adjacent lipids to be spaced further apart.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoThe double bonds form kinks in the fatty acid tails, forcing adjacent lipids to be further apart
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoUnsaturated fatty acids remain liquid at lower temperatures, and this makes the membranes more fluid.
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A plasma membrane is most fluid if it contains?
Unsaturated fatty acids
What causes the plasma membrane to resist freezing?
unsaturated fatty acid tails
What is the function of a cholesterol in the cell membrane?
Cholesterol is found in the membrane. It prevents lower temperatures from inhibiting the fluidity of the membrane and prevents higher temperatures from increasing fluidity. It stabilizes the membrane. Only animal cells have cholesterol in their membranes.
What structure in the membrane causes plasma membranes to resist freezing?
Unsaturated fatty acids tails.
Does cholesterol serves no function in the cell?
It functions by serving its purpose of being in the plasma membrane. Which is to give the membrane more fluidity in normal and low temperatures and to prevent the membrane from being too fluid in high temperatures in respect to the membrane.
What increases the fluidity of the phospholipid bilayer?
Presence of Cholesterol, Unsaturated Fat, and moderate Temperatures. The Cholesterol will help the cell retain fluidity even at lower temperatures, but higher temperatures will cause it to "Gum Up"
How do living cells respond when placed in freezing temperatures?
All cells are protected by a cellular membrane that respond to various outside changes and stimuli. This cellular membrane responds by producing more unsaturated fatty acids within itself, providing insulation.
A plasma membrane is most fluid if it contains?
Unsaturated fatty acids
What causes the plasma membrane to resist freezing?
unsaturated fatty acid tails
What is membrane gelling?
Membrane gelling is when a membrane becomes solid, for example at low temperatures.
What is the function of a cholesterol in the cell membrane?
Cholesterol is found in the membrane. It prevents lower temperatures from inhibiting the fluidity of the membrane and prevents higher temperatures from increasing fluidity. It stabilizes the membrane. Only animal cells have cholesterol in their membranes.
Does cholesterol serves no function in the cell?
It functions by serving its purpose of being in the plasma membrane. Which is to give the membrane more fluidity in normal and low temperatures and to prevent the membrane from being too fluid in high temperatures in respect to the membrane.
What structure in the membrane causes plasma membranes to resist freezing?
Unsaturated fatty acids tails.
What is one of the ways that the membranes of winter wheat are able to remain fluid when it is extremely cold?
by increasing the percentage of unsaturated phospholipids in the membrane.by increasing the percentage of unsaturated phospholipids in the membrane
What is the purpose of cholesterol in a membrane?
Cholesterol helps stabilize the membrane at warm temperatures, but also helps keep the membrane fluid at lower temperatures.
What is the function of the cholesterol molecules in a cell membrane?
Cholesterol is found in the membrane. It prevents lower temperatures from inhibiting the fluidity of the membrane and prevents higher temperatures from increasing fluidity. It stabilizes the membrane. Only animal cells have cholesterol in their membranes.
What component of the membrane causes it to have a fluid consistency?
Phospholipids can move within the bilayer but most of the lipids and proteins drift laterally. Flip flopping doesn't happen very often. When temperatures are cool, the fluid state goes to a solid one. Though it stays fluid at lower temperatures if it has lots of phospholipids with unsaturated hydrocarbon tails.
