Cell Membrane Definition And Function

It is also known as the cell surface membrane or plasmalemma.

Cell membrane definition and function. The membrane also contains membrane proteins including integral proteins that go across the Organelle a specialized subunit within a cell that has a specific function and is usually separately enclosed within its own membrane. The cell membrane is a biological membrane that separates the interior of all cells from the outside environment which protects the cell from its environment. A cell membrane functions as an enclosure for the internal organelles and protects them.

It is semi-permeable and regulates the materials that enter and exit the cell. This membrane anchors the cytoskeleton a cellular skeleton made of protein and contained in. The cell membrane supports and protects the cell.

It protects the integrity of the cell along with supporting the cell and helping to maintain the cells shape. The cell membrane functions as a barrier keeping cell constituents in and unwanted substances out and as a gate allowing transport into the cell of essential nutrients and movement from the cell of waste products. The cell membrane keeps the organelles of the cell from drifting away and controls the movement of things into and out of.

The cell membrane is the outer covering of a cell within which all other organelles such as the cytoplasm and nucleus are. This function is very vital in animal cells which lack a cell wall. The plasma membrane is the cells outermost layer in mammals although it is found behind the cell wall in plants fungi and some bacteria.

It is a selectively permeable barrier meaning it allows some substances to cross but not others. In 1972 two scientists SJ Singer and CL Nicolson proposed fluid mosaic model. The cell membrane is present in all the cells.

The cell membrane is the outermost limit of the cell but it is more than a simple envelope surrounding the cellular contents. The cell membrane gives the cell its structure and regulates the materials that enter and leave the cell. Cell Membrane surrounds the cytoplasm and other organelles in it.