 |
|
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
|
|
cell membrane
 |
Image: National Institute of General Medical Sciences |
The cell membrane consists of a lipid bilayer with embedded proteins. Depending on the membrane’s location and role in the body, lipids can make up anywhere from 20 to 80 percent of the membrane, with the remainder being proteins. Lipids generally give membranes their flexibility. Cholesterol is a type of lipid that, by contrast, helps stiffen the membrane of animal cells but is not found in plant cells.
The cell membrane regulates what enters and leaves the cell, maintains the correct intracellular pH level, and provides a means of separating charges so that the cell can, for example, generate the energy-carrying molecule adenosine triphosphate. Proteins transmit chemical messages into the cell, and they also monitor and maintain the cell's chemical climate. On the outside of cell membranes, attached to some of the proteins and lipids, are chains of sugar molecules that help each cell type do its job.
The cell membrane is both a physical and chemical barrier which defines the boundary between the individual and its environment. Its origin is intimately connected with the origin of life as we know it.
Other cell membranes
Other membranes found inside cells include the nuclear envelope, which surrounds the cell nucleus, the tonoplast, which encloses the vacuole of plant cells, and the membranes of the various cell organelles, such as the mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, lysosomes, and chloroplasts.
Related entry
• origin of cell membranes
Related category
• CELL BIOLOGY
Also on this site:
Encyclopedia of Alternative Energy & Sustainable Living
Encyclopedia of History
Transport Concepts & Designs (partner site)