Structure and function

Plasma membrane- formed from a phospholipid bilayer through compartmentalisation (the formation of seperate membrane bound areas in a cell).

Membrane structure

• The hydrophilic phosphate heads of the phosphoslipids form the inner and the outer surface of the plasma membrane, sandwiching the hydrophobic fatty acid tails pf the phospholipids to form a hydrophobic core of the membranes.
• Cells normally live in an aqueous enviroment and the inside of the cell is also aqueous, the phospholipid bilayers have two hyrdophobic layers so can perfectly interact with the water enviroment.

Membrane proteins

Intrinsic proteins: proteins that are embedded through both layers of the lipid bilayer. They have hydrophobic R-groups of amno acids which interact…