BIO-113 Chapter 6 Extended Vocab

Fluid mosaic model

Hypothesis that cellular membranes consist of proteins embedded in a fluid phospholipid bilayer

Integral protein

Found permanently embedded in the biological membrane that spans the entire lipid bilayer

Peripheral protein

Found in the biological membrane but doesn’t span the entire lipid bilayer, but instead binds to only one side of the bilayer

Permeability

The tendency (noun) of a membrane that allows a given substance to pass through it

Permeable

The property (adjective) of a membrane that allows a given substance to pass through it

Selectively permeable

The property (adjective) of a membrane that allows certain molecules and ions to pass through it

Passive transport

Diffusion (movement) of a substance across a membrane

Concentration gradient

Difference in the concentration of a dissolved substance across space; relevant when happening across a membrane

Channel proteins

Is transmembrane that forms a pore in a cell membrane, which may open or close in response to a signal; can admit one or a few types of ions or molecules