quick question about the phospholipid bilayer

[thedarkhorse]

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it says that the movement of proteins and lipids are restricted if movement occurs from one face of the bilayer to the other. what does one face of the bilayer to the other mean?

 

[duckdds]

it says that the movement of proteins and lipids are restricted if movement occurs from one face of the bilayer to the other. what does one face of the bilayer to the other mean?

The plasma membrane is a phospholipid bilayer, which is obviously composed of two layers of lipids with the tails facing eachother. The statement is just saying that the lipids do not "flip" positions. If a lipid is facing the extracellular space, and the lipid underneath it is facing the cytosol, those two lipids will rarely flip positions because it's energetically unfavorable. The lipids can, however, rotate and move around freely within the same plane.

 

[Jackson-Ave-Dental]

EDIT: Actually I just realized that wasn't the question you were asking lol.

 

[thedarkhorse]

The plasma membrane is a phospholipid bilayer, which is obviously composed of two layers of lipids with the tails facing eachother. The statement is just saying that the lipids do not "flip" positions. If a lipid is facing the extracellular space, and the lipid underneath it is facing the cytosol, those two lipids will rarely flip positions because it's energetically unfavorable. The lipids can, however, rotate and move around freely within the same plane.

thanks a LOT duckdds. that makes perfect sense