Why membranes are fluid-mosaic?

Question

This is from my textbook... Fluidity arises because lipids can move laterally; mosaic refers to the irregular arrangement of proteins through out the lipid bilayer.

Please help explain to me, the explanation above, in simple English because my English is not very good and I cannot digest the explanation... Thank you^^

Answer 1

It's not too hard:

The fluid-mosaic model of the membrane just tells what we think membranes are like. We think they are like a fluid and also like a mosaic.

1. How is a membrane like a fluid? The phospholipids are free to move around each other just like the molecules in a fluid are free to move around each other. (Think of water -- the molecules of water just move all around each other. They're not stuck in one place like the molecules in a solid are.)

2. How is a membrane like a mosaic? A mosaic is a pattern made out of pieces. Sometimes you might see tiles laid out in a pattern that makes a picture. That's a mosaic. In a membrane, the proteins make a pattern.

Yours is the kind of question I like to answer because you are asking about something you don't understand. Some of us just like to help people learn.

Answer 2

Think of the lipid bilayer as ping-pong balls floating in a tank of water. The ping-pong balls can move around, but always form a "solid" barrier on the surface of the water.

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What it means is that the lipids move freely within the lipid layer. It is a fluid.

Within this lipid layer are odd shaped proteins which may be imbedded in one side or extend all the way through the layer. Look up the word "mosaic"- you will find images of bits of glass and tile... This just looks like it.

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

ok... think of of it this type: the cellular membrane is created from 2 sandwiched layers of phospholipids- fat(lipids) and water repel one yet another - that is how the membrane keeps the watery insides of the cellular interior. in case you are able to think of a circle with 2 "tails" on it - this a phospholipid - there are 2 layers of those for the era of the membrane - optimistically your e book has a image - that is confusing to describe! think of of the cellular as a coastline ball - the versatile fatty layer is somewhat like the vinyl the ball is created from. the interior the ball is the place each and all the organelles would be. in case you are able to think of if the ball replaced into crammed with water - the membrane would flex and circulate with the contents. The membrane has a lot of "gates" speckled by way of it (think of like the coastline ball had many of the blow up holes in it). those gates (the protein molecules interior the phospholipid bilayer) enable greater molecules like glucose and hormones by way of. optimistically this helps some!