6: The Cell Membrane and Transport

Principles of Biology · LibreTexts

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    From LibreTexts, under CC BY 4.0, as the source states it; its equations are written in TeX, which the PDF shows typeset. This page at LibreTexts.

    Learning Objectives

    By the end of this section, you will be able to:

    • Explain how the structure of cell membranes leads to its various functions including selective permeability and transport, and cell signaling.

    The plasma membrane, which is also called the cell membrane, has many functions, but the most basic one is to define the borders of the cell and keep the cell functional. The plasma membrane is selectively permeable. This means that the membrane allows some materials to freely enter or leave the cell, while other materials cannot move freely, but require the use of a specialized structure, and occasionally, even energy investment for crossing.

    References

    Text adapted from: OpenStax, Concepts of Biology. OpenStax CNX. May 18, 2016 https://cnx.org/contents/GFy_h8cu@10...2/Introduction

    Thumbnail: The cell membrane. (Public domain; LadyofHats via Wikimedia Commons).

    This page titled 6: The Cell Membrane and Transport was last modified on Wed, 08 Dec 2021 17:27:44 GMT and is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Lisa Bartee, Walter Shriner and Catherine Creech via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.