What does the fluid mosaic model describe?

What does the fluid mosaic model describe?

• A. A model of the cell membrane consisting of a lipid bilayer with embedded proteins
• B. A model of cell wall structure
• C. A law about diffusion rates
• D. A theory of nuclear membranes

Answer: (A)

The fluid mosaic model describes the cell membrane as a dynamic, fluid structure made of a phospholipid bilayer with proteins embedded in it. The lipids form a flexible, moving matrix that allows the membrane to be fluid, while the embedded proteins create a mosaic of functions—channels, transporters, receptors, and enzymes—throughout the membrane. Cholesterol helps modulate fluidity and stability, and glycoproteins and glycolipids on the surface contribute to cell recognition. This arrangement explains how substances selectively cross the membrane and how membrane components can rearrange in response to changes, without a rigid, fixed boundary. It’s not about the cell wall, a diffusion law, or nuclear membranes.

The fluid mosaic model describes the cell membrane as a dynamic, fluid structure made of a phospholipid bilayer with proteins embedded in it. The lipids form a flexible, moving matrix that allows the membrane to be fluid, while the embedded proteins create a mosaic of functions—channels, transporters, receptors, and enzymes—throughout the membrane. Cholesterol helps modulate fluidity and stability, and glycoproteins and glycolipids on the surface contribute to cell recognition. This arrangement explains how substances selectively cross the membrane and how membrane components can rearrange in response to changes, without a rigid, fixed boundary. It’s not about the cell wall, a diffusion law, or nuclear membranes.