No. It is the semipermeable cell membrane that determines what can enter and leave the cell. So, if not everything can cross the membrane, how do certain things get across?
The cell membrane contains molecules other than phospholipids, primarily other lipids and proteins. The yellow molecules between the phospholipid tails in the Figure below, for example, are the lipid cholesterol. Molecules of cholesterol help the cell membrane keep its shape. Many of the proteins in the cell membrane assist other substances in crossing the membrane.
The cell membranes also contain certain types of proteins. A membrane protein is a protein molecule that is attached to, or associated with, the membrane of a cell or an organelle. Membrane proteins can be put into two groups based on how the protein is associated with the membrane.
Integral membrane proteins are permanently embedded within the cell membrane. They have a range of important functions. Such functions include channeling or transporting molecules across the membrane. Other integral proteins act as cell receptors. Integral membrane proteins can be classified according to their relationship with the bilayer:
Some integral membrane proteins are responsible for cell adhesion (sticking of a cell to another cell or surface). On the outside of cell membranes and attached to some of the proteins are carbohydrate chains that act as labels that identify the cell type. Shown in the Figure below are two different types of membrane proteins and associated molecules.
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Peripheral membrane proteins are proteins that are only temporarily associated with the membrane. They can be easily removed, which allows them to be involved in cell signaling. Peripheral proteins can also be attached to integral membrane proteins, or they can stick into a small portion of the lipid bilayer by themselves. Peripheral membrane proteins are often associated with ion channels and transmembrane receptors. Most peripheral membrane proteins are hydrophilic.
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In 1972, S.J. Singer and G.L. Nicolson proposed the now widely accepted Fluid Mosaic Model of the structure of cell membranes. The model proposes that integral membrane proteins are embedded in the phospholipid bilayer, as seen in the Figure above. Some of these proteins extend all the way through the bilayer, and some only partially across it. These membrane proteins act as transport proteins and receptors proteins.
Their model also proposed that the membrane behaves like a fluid, rather than a solid. The proteins and lipids of the membrane move around the membrane, much like buoys in water. Such movement causes a constant change in the “mosaic pattern” of the cell membrane.
The cell membrane may have extensions, such as whip-like flagella or brush-like cilia. In single-celled organisms, like those shown in the Figure below, the membrane extensions may help the organisms move. In multicellular organisms, the extensions have other functions. For example, the cilia on human lung cells sweep foreign particles and mucus toward the mouth and nose.
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