Question

Explain why the cell membrane is modeled as a Fluid Mosaic: A) Why is it called fluid, and B) Why is it called a Mosaic?

Answer 1

The fluid mosaic model describes that the cell membrane consist of several types of molecules such as phospholipids, cholesterols, and proteins that are regularly moving. This movement helps the cell membrane to role as a barrier between the inside and outside of the cell environments.

A) It is called fluid because it has the liquid part which is lipid bilayer which floats along the lipids due to the different types of molecules that compose the cell.

B)cell membrane is called mosaic like because same as a mosaic, the cell membrane which is a complex structure is composed of many different parts, such as proteins, phospholipids, and cholesterol. The amounts of these components differs membrane to membrane, and the types of lipids in membranes can also be different.

please give a thumbs up if the answer help you. Thank you!