Question

The plasma membrane is considered a semipermeable barrier. What are the structural features and components of the plasma membrane that renders it only semipermeable?

Answer 1

The plasma membrane is known to be selectively permeable as it only allows or regulated the entry or exit of certain substances only. It does not allow the free movement of particles across each side of membrane.

This feature of semi-permeability of plasma membrane is due to the presence of phospholipid bilayer. The lipid bilayer provides a hydrophobic centre due to which water being a polar compound or substances that dissolve in water like glucose cannot enter into the membrane. And the hydrophobic substances cannot move out to hydrophilic region present outside the membrane. Thus, due to presence of pgospholipid layer, the plasma membrane gets its selective permeability nature.

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