Cell Membrane

Every cell has a membrane, which is called a cell membrane or a plasma membrane. This is a biological membrane that contains the constituents of the cell and protects the interior from the environment surrounding it. This membrane can be selectively permeable—which means that it can allow specific liquids or gasses to pass through it—to various ions and organic molecules. The cell membrane is also responsible for controlling the movement of different substances in and out of the cells. The membrane is a lipid bilayer, which has embedded proteins. The basic function of the cell membrane is to protect the cell from outside force and influence. However, the cell membrane is also involved in different cellular processes including cell adhesion, cell signaling, and ion conductivity, as well as being the attachment surface for extracellular structures such as the cell wall, the intracellular cytoskeleton, and glycocalyx. The cell membrane also plays an important role in “anchoring” the cytoskeleton to shape to a certain cell. By attaching to the extracellular matrix and other cells, the cell membrane is also pivotal in grouping multiple cells together to form tissues, which will be then used to form organs, and a complex organism after that. The membrane also maintains the cell potential, which is the difference in electrical potential between the inside and the outside of the cell. There are a variety of biological molecules (such as lipids and proteins) that make up the cell membrane. The material is incorporated into the membrane by a variety of mechanisms, including the fusion of intracellular vesicles with the membrane and the exchange of molecules between the lipid and aqueous phases of the membrane. Chemists from the Harvard University have successfully created an artificial cell membrane on December 29, 2011. This category contains scientific information about the cellular membrane, which protects the interior of the cell from the environment surrounding it.