Answer to Question #308802 in Cell Biology for janjan

Question

how would a cell be affected if the cell membrane did not have any membrane proteins and what functions would be affected

Answer 1

Cholesterol is an important component of animal cell membranes, comprising up to half the total lipids in some cells. Because it has a rigid ring structure, cholesterol lends strength to cell membranes and helps the cell hold its shape. Cholesterol also helps to maintain the permeability of the cell membrane.....membrane, in biology, the thin layer that forms the outer boundary of a living cell or of an internal cell compartment. The outer boundary is the plasma membrane, and the compartments enclosed by internal membranes are called organelles. Biological membranes have three primary functions: (1) they keep toxic substances out of the cell; (2) they contain receptors and channels that allow specific molecules, such as ions, nutrients, wastes, and metabolic products, that mediate cellular and extracellular activities to pass between organelles and between the cell and the outside environment; and (3) they separate vital but incompatible metabolic processes conducted within organelles.