Lipids provide structure - allow the selective diffusion. Proteins provide structure - involved transport - involved in cell adhesion. Carbohydrates are involved in cell recognition - receptor complexes.
<h3>What is the function of lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins in the cell membrane?</h3>
The cell membrane is composed of a lipidic bilayer, cholesterol, proteins, and glucans incrusted in between.
⇒ Lipids
- Phospholipids are amphipathic molecules.
- They have hydrophilic heads facing the exterior and the interior of the cells and hydrophobic tails that arrange against each other in the interlayer space.
- Lipids can easily change places with other lipids by lateral diffusion and transversal diffusion.
- Their function is to provide structure to the membrane and allow the diffusion of some selected small molecules.
⇒ Cholesterol
These lipidic molecules play a significant role in membrane formation and structure. They are embedded in the membrane in between phospholipidic tails.
⇒ Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are significant energy store molecules.
Carbohydrates get attached to lipids and proteins on the outer side of the membrane (glycolipids and glycoproteins).
Complexes protein-carbohydrate are used to identify and differentiate the cell and work as receptors.
Carbohydrates are also involved in cell adhesion.
⇒ Proteins
- Among the proteins, we can find integral proteins and peripheric proteins.
Integral proteins are permanently associated with the membrane. They accomplish many different functions such as substances transport, cellular receptors, and cellular adhesion, among others.
According to how they are incrusted in the lipidic bilayer, integral proteins might be,
→ Transmembrane proteins ⇒ they cross the two lipid layers of the cell membrane.
→ Monotypic integral proteins ⇒ they can be found tied to one of the lipidic layers.
Integral proteins provide structure to the plasmatic membrane.
Periferic proteins are in the internal or external surface but not incrusted in the membrane.
In conlusion,
- Phospholipids are the basic elements of the cell membrane. They are arranged in two layers, and thanks to their motion properties, they allow passive transport (diffusion) of some substances.
- Proteins provide structure, are involved in facilitated and active transport, and are involved in cell adhesion.
- Carbohydrates are involved in cell recognition and in receptor complexes.
You can learn more about membrane composition at
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