Describe other components present in a cell membrane and their relative location.

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Hi and welcome back everyone. The next question says, which of the following components of the cell membrane is found interspersed between phospholipid molecules. A nucleotides B carbohydrates, c glycol lipids or D cholesterol. First of all, we can rule out choice a nucleotides because nucleotides are not components of the cell membrane. But our other three carbohydrates, glycol lipids and cholesterol are all found in cell membranes. So let's look at each of them. So choice B carbohydrates. So these are like the sugar molecules that are attached to lipids and proteins on the outer surface of the cell membrane. So while these are components of cell membranes being attached to the surface, you would not call them interspersed. So, right, not interspersed. Now, try to see glycolipid is maybe a bit more tricky have these carbohydrate groups on their heads, but then lipid tails. So they are in a sense, you know, they're, they're within the cell membrane alongside the phospholipids. But you wouldn't really think of them as interest first between phospholipids because they're so similar to phospholipids and ST and structure, they have two fatty acid tails and then this polar head. So they're really more like, you know, components of the cell membranes themselves. If this were our only choice, we didn't have any others, then, you know, maybe we might want to choose glycol lids. But given that we have choice, d cholesterol as an answer choice, that definitely makes a better answer. Cholesterol is very different in structure from phospholipids or glycol lipids. So totally different type of molecule. And due to this difference in structure from the membrane components from the membrane phospholipids, cholesterol molecules give stability and flexibility to cell membranes. So, in cold temperatures, when the membrane might be at risk of solidifying with those molecules packing closely together, the cholesterol molecules prevent type packing and retain liquidity at low temperatures. And then in high temperatures, they help stabilize it and becoming too flexible and maintain that structure there. So since cholesterol is present in this very different looking structure from the phospholipids sort of sprinkled in among them, um you would definitely describe cholesterol choice D as the component of a cell membrane found interspersed between phospholipid molecules. See you in the next video.

Describe other components present in a cell membrane and their relative location.

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Key Concepts

Phospholipid Bilayer

Membrane Proteins

Cholesterol