The plasma membrane or the cell membrane, provides protection for a cell. It also provides a fixed environment inside the cell. And those proteins which stick outside of the plasma membrane will allow for one cell to interact with another cell. The cell membrane also provides some structural support for a cell. Like all other cellular membranes, the plasma membrane consists of both lipids and proteins. The fundamental structure of the membrane is the phospholipid bilayer, which forms a stable barrier between two aqueous compartments. Like all lipids, they are insoluble in water, but their unique geometry causes them to aggregate into bilayers without any energy input. For example, plasma membrane proteins carry out functions as diverse as ferrying nutrients across the plasma membrane, receiving chemical signals from outside the cell, translating chemical signals into intracellular action and sometimes anchoring the cell in a particular location.

Vikrant Ojha

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