What is been explained by so called Fluid Mosaic Model?
1 Answer
Nov 23, 2017
Fluid mosaic model is an attempt to describe the structure of cell membranes.
Explanation:
Cell membrane is mainly made of lipid bilayer and proteins. To explain its structure Singer and Nicolson proposed fluid mosaic model in early 70s.
The lipid bilayer of membrane acts as a sea of fluid material in which proteins can float as icebergs: i.e. proteins are randomly distributed as if in a mosaic. Cholesterol is also an important molecule of cell membrane.
Lipid soluble materials easily diffuse through such membranes, e.g. respiratory gases, sex hormones, etc. but it is not true for other materials.
Proteins may act as transport channels in the membrane, as happens in case of Na (sodium) or K (potassium).
Overall, the membrane is semipermeable.
