Question10 What type of molecule is primarily responsible for forming the basic structure of cell membranes? Fill in your answer here:[input] Maximum marks: 1 Flag question undefined

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The question asks: What type of molecule is primarily responsible for forming the basic structure of cell membranes?

In explaining membrane structure, it's important to understand that membranes are built mainly from phospholipids arranged into a bilayer. This bilayer is driven by the amphipathic nature of phospholipids: each molecule has a hydrophilic (water-attracting) head and hydrophobic (water-repelling) tails. In an aqueous environment, phospholipids align themselves so that the tails face inward away from water, while the heads face outward toward water on both sides of the membrane. This arrangement creates a stable barrier that defines the basic structure of the membrane, separating the interior of the cell from the exterior.

Optionally, you might wonder about other molecules that contribute to membranes. While cholesterol, proteins, and carbohydrates play essential supporting roles—cholesterol modulates fluidity, membrane proteins perform transport and signaling, and carbohydrate chains can be involved in cell recognition—the core framework that establishes the basic boundary is the phospholipid bilayer. Proteins are embedded within or attached to this bilayer and contribute to function, but they do not form the fundamental structural layer by themselves. Carbohydrates are typically linked to lipids or proteins on the extracellular face, contributing to charge, recognition, and stability, not to the basic lipid-based barrier.

If you consider other lipid types, such as sterols (e.g., cholesterol), they do influence membrane properties like fluidity and rigidity, but they do not constitute the primary structural foundation the way phospholipids do. Therefore, the emphasis for the basic membrane structure points to phospholipids as the key molecule type.

To summarize, the quintessential reason phospholipids underpin the membrane’s basic structure is their amphipathic character and their tendency to form a bilayer with hydrophobic tails shielded from water and hydrophilic heads facing the aqueous environments, creating the continuous boundary that defines a cell.

Question10 What type of molecule is primarily responsible for forming the basic structure of cell membranes? Fill in your answer here:[input] Maximum marks: 1 Flag question undefined

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