Question

A membrane consisting only of phospholipids undergoes a sharp transition from the crystalline form to the fluid form as it is heated. What would be the effect on this transition in a membrane containing 80% phospholipid and 20% cholesterol

Answer 1

Answer:

Having 20% cholesterol in a membrane would reduce the fluidity.

Explanation:

At high temperatures, cholesterol stabilizes the membrane and increases the melting point.

Answer 2

The plasma membrane is the layer that surrounds the cell and is composed of cholesterol and phospholipid. The presence of cholesterol reduces the fluidity and transition.

What are the components of the plasma membrane?

The plasma membrane separates the exterior and the interior of the cell and through a semi-permeable nature allows the transport of the molecules. It is composed of phospholipids and cholesterol molecules.

The phase transition of the membrane is known by the change in the rigidity as it starts free-flowing at a high temperature called transition temperature.

In the presence of cholesterol, the movement and the fluidity reduce as it interferes with the fatty acid chain and now requires more temperature to convert the rigid structure to become fluid.

Therefore, membrane-containing cholesterol requires more temperature to modify the fluidity as compared to phospholipids alone.

Learn more about phospholipids and cholesterol here:

https://brainly.com/question/4633627

#SPJ2