View Full Version : Cell membrane
k8lind
Jul 16, 2008, 08:26 AM
If you're a fat molecule forming the inner layer of a cell membrane, your head will face toward
NeedKarma
Jul 16, 2008, 08:42 AM
Ok, thanks.
Unknown008
Jul 17, 2008, 02:17 AM
Huh?
WVHiflyer
Jul 17, 2008, 10:56 PM
Ya mean is it hydrophobic or not? I can't remember.
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dumdum46
Jul 28, 2008, 01:07 PM
The watery environment outside the cell
asking
Jul 30, 2008, 07:13 PM
The most important lipids (or fats) in a cell membrane are phospholipids. Phospholipids have a hydrophilic (water-loving) head and a hydrophobic (water-fearing) tail. In water, phospholipids can organize into sheets that are two layers thick. The oily tails of the lipids point inward toward one another, while the hydrophilic heads point outward.
The diagram at Wikipedia shows the hydrophilic heads pointing outward into the aqueous environment, both inside the cell and outside. The space between the two layers is hydrophobic and so makes a good boundary between the inside of the cell and the outside of the cell.
Lipid bilayer - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipid_bilayer)