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What are Membranes?

What are Membranes?

A key characteristic of life is the ability to separate the external environment from the internal space. To do this, cells have evolved semi-permeable membranes that regulate the passage of biological molecules. Additionally, the cell membrane defines a cell’s shape and interactions with the external environment. Eukaryotic cell membranes also serve to compartmentalize the internal space into organelles, including the endomembrane structures of the nucleus, endoplasmic reticulum and...

What are Membranes?

What are Membranes?

A cell's plasma membrane demarcates the cell's borders and determines the nature of its interaction with the environment. Cells exclude certain substances, take in others, and excrete some others in controlled quantities. The plasma membrane must be flexible to allow certain cells, such as red and white blood cells, to change their shape while passing through narrow capillaries. These are the more obvious plasma membrane functions. In addition, the plasma membrane's surface carries...

Membrane Domains

Membrane Domains

The membrane domains concentrate specific lipids and proteins at one place within the membrane, which helps in cell signaling, adhesion, and other critical cellular processes. These domains can differ in size, composition, function, and lifespan.
Protein Domains
The membrane comprises a group of distinct proteins responsible for carrying out a cell's specific function. For example, the plasma membrane of the human sperm, or a single germ cell, contains a unique set of proteins in the...

The Fluid Mosaic Model

The Fluid Mosaic Model

The fluid mosaic model was first proposed as a visual representation of research observations. The model comprises the composition and dynamics of membranes and serves as a foundation for future membrane-related studies. The model depicts the structure of the plasma membrane with a variety of components, which include phospholipids, proteins, and carbohydrates. These integral molecules are loosely bound, defining the cell’s border and providing fluidity for optimal function.

Membrane Fluidity

Membrane Fluidity

Cell membranes are composed of phospholipids, proteins, and carbohydrates loosely attached to one another through chemical interactions. Molecules are generally able to move about in the plane of the membrane, giving the membrane its flexible nature called fluidity. Two other features of the membrane contribute to membrane fluidity: the chemical structure of the phospholipids and the presence of cholesterol in the membrane.

Membrane Fluidity

Membrane Fluidity

Membrane fluidity is explained by the fluid mosaic model of the cell membrane, which describes the plasma membrane structure as a mosaic of components—including phospholipids, cholesterol, proteins, and carbohydrates—that gives the membrane a fluid character.
Mosaic nature of the membrane
The mosaic characteristic of the membrane helps the plasma membrane remain fluid. The integral proteins and lipids exist as separate but loosely-attached molecules in the membrane. The membrane is...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Dec 10, 2025

Assembly of Cell Mimicking Supported and Suspended Lipid Bilayer Models for the Study of Molecular Interactions

Assembly of Cell Mimicking Supported and Suspended Lipid Bilayer Models for the Study of Molecular Interactions

Published on: August 3, 2021

Cellular Membranes, a Versatile Adaptive Composite Material.

Lucas Lamparter^1,2, Milos Galic^1,2

¹Institute of Medical Physics and Biophysics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.

Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology

|August 28, 2020

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Cellular membranes adapt to varying biomechanical needs through the plasma membrane and cell cortex interplay. This composite material adjusts its mechanical properties, crucial for cell function and survival.

Keywords:

adaptive material cell cortex composite material lipid bilayer plasma membrane

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Last Updated: Dec 10, 2025

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Area of Science:

Biomaterials Science
Cell Biology
Biophysics

Background:

Cellular membranes are vital but poorly understood biomaterials.
Biomechanical requirements for membranes vary significantly across species and subcellular locations.
The plasma membrane and adjacent cell cortex form an adaptive composite material.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how cellular membranes adapt to diverse biomechanical demands.
To identify challenges in membrane adaptation and how cells overcome them.
To explore the impact of pathological changes on membrane mechanics and cell function.

Main Methods:

Utilized a hypothetical composite material model.
Analyzed the interplay between the plasma membrane and cell cortex.
Discussed solutions for membrane adaptation challenges.

Main Results:

Identified core challenges in cellular membrane adaptation.
Demonstrated the dynamic adjustment of mechanical properties in the adaptive composite material.
The study provides insights into how cells manage varying biomechanical requirements.

Conclusions:

The plasma membrane-cell cortex interaction is key to membrane adaptability.
Understanding membrane mechanics is crucial for cell function.
Pathological changes in material properties can significantly affect cell behavior.