Question
Question: The cell membrane is a very important component of a cell. How is the damage of the cell membrane li...
The cell membrane is a very important component of a cell. How is the damage of the cell membrane likely to impact the functions of the cell?
Solution
The cell membrane or plasma membrane is termed as the outermost membrane that occurs in animal cells whereas, the plant cell is made up of cell wall as well as the plasma membrane. It is referred to as a selectively permeable membrane. Nageli and Cramer used the term cell membrane for the first time in 1855.
Complete answer: The cell is usually termed as the basic unit of life. All organisms are made up of cells. Some organisms are composed of single cells and are termed as unicellular, while other organisms like human beings are composed of many cells, and are termed as multicellular organisms.
A cell is made up of the following namely:
a) The cell membrane
b) The cell wall; present in plant cells.
c) The nucleus
d) The cytoplasm
d) Cell organelles
The animal cell does not possess the outer membrane called the cell wall. So, this is the reason that the plasma membrane is the only one outer covering/membrane which protects the cell or inside of the cell from the outer environment. The cell membrane is made up of a lipid bilayer. Lipids are arranged in such a way that the polar head faces towards the outer part and the hydrophobic tail faces towards the inner part of the cell. The cell membrane is also made up of proteins and carbohydrates. Proteins are categorised as integral (intrinsic) proteins and peripheral (extrinsic) proteins. Integral proteins are present on the surface of the layer, but peripheral proteins are totally buried in the layer. The cell membrane only allows the entry of certain selective molecules inside the cell.
Note: The cell membrane is composed of a thin layer of phospholipids which possess a hydrophilic head and hydrophobic tail. The plasma membrane also possesses glycoprotein which helps in cell-cell recognition. The cell membrane is made up of around 50% of proteins which help in carrying out the essential activities of the cell.