Cell membrane

Definition

The cell membrane is a semipermeable biological membrane that separates and protects the interior of a cell from the outside environment. The cell membrane is a lipid bilayer, usually consisting of phospholipids and glycolipids; eukaryotes and some archaea typically have sterols interspersed between them as well, maintaining appropriate membrane fluidity at various temperatures. The membrane also contains membrane proteins, including integral proteins that span the membrane and serve as transporters, and peripheral proteins that attach to the surface of the cell membrane, acting as enzymes to facilitate interaction with the cell's environment. Glycolipids embedded in the outer lipid layer serve a similar purpose.

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Acrosome Actin Active transport Alpha helix Amphipathic Amyloplast Annular lipid shell Antigen Antiporter Apicoplast Aquaporins Archaea Artificial cell Autophagosome Axolemma Axoneme Axons Bacteria Bacterial cell structure Bacterial outer membrane Bacterial secretion system Bangstad syndrome Basal body Beta sheet Biological membrane Biomolecular condensate Biomolecule Bleb (cell biology)Cadherins Carbohydrate Carbohydrates Caveolae Cell-cell recognition Cell (biology)Cell adhesion Cell cortex Cell damage Cell junction Cell nucleus Cell signaling Cell theory Cell wall Centriole Centrosome Cerebroside Chemical polarity Chloroplast Cholesterol Chromoplast Cilia Cilium Cytoneme Cytoplasm Cytosis Cytoskeleton Cytosol Davson-Danielli model Degranulation Diffusion Echinoderm Efferocytosis Efflux (microbiology)Elaioplast Elasticity of cell membranes Electric charge Electron microscopy Endocytosis Endomembrane system Endoplasmic reticulum Endosome Endosymbiont Endothelial cell Enzyme Epithelial cell Epithelial polarity Epithelium Ernest Overton Eukaryote Eukaryotic Exocytosis Exosome (vesicle)Extracellular Extracellular matrix Extracellular space Facilitated diffusion Filopodia Filopodium Flagellum Flippase Fluid compartment Fluid mosaic model Fluorescence microscopy Focal adhesion Fungi G protein G protein-coupled receptor Galactose Ganglioside Garth L. Nicolson Gastrointestinal tract Gene Gerontoplast Gliding motility Glycocalyx Glycolipid Glycoprotein Glycosylation Glyoxysome Golgi apparatus Gram-negative bacteria Gram-positive bacteria Granule (cell biology)History of cell membrane theory Homeoviscous adaptation Hugh Davson Hugo de Vries Hydrophobic effect Inclusion (cell)Inner nuclear membrane Integral membrane protein Integral protein Integrins Intermediate filament Interstitium Intestinal permeability Intracellular Invadopodia Ion Ion channel Ion channels Ion conductivity Ion pump (biology)James Danielli Janet Plowe Lamellipodium Leucoplast Lipid-anchored protein Lipid anchored protein Lipid bilayer Lipid raft Lipid rafts Lipopolysaccharide Lipoprotein Liposome Liquid crystal List of distinct cell types in the adult human body Lumen (anatomy)Lymphocyte homing receptor Lysosome Macromolecule Magnetosome Mediated transport Melanosome Melting point Membrane-bound organelle Membrane contact site Membrane fluidity Membrane glycoproteins Membrane lipid Membrane models Membrane nanotube Membrane nanotubule Membrane potential Membrane protein Membrane transport Membrane transport protein Membrane transporter Microbody Microfilament Microtubule Microtubule organizing center Microvilli Mitochondrion Moiety (chemistry)Molar mass Muscle cell Myelin Myofibril Neuron Nitroplast Node of Ranvier Non-covalent Non-specific, adsorptive pinocytosis Nuclear envelope Nuclear membrane Nuclear pore Nucleolus Oligosaccharide Oocyte Organelle Organic molecule Osmosis Osmotic pressure Outer nuclear membrane PH partition Parenthesome Passive transport Paucimolecular model Peptidoglycan Peripheral membrane protein Peripheral protein Periplasm Permeation Peroxisome Phagocytosis Phagosome Phosphatidyl serine Phosphatidylcholine Phosphatidylethanolamine Phosphatidylinositol Phosphatidylserine Phospholipid Phospholipids Phycobilisome Physiological condition Pinocytosis Plant Plant cell wall Plastid Podosome Polysaccharide Porin (protein)Porosome Postsynaptic density Potocytosis Primary active transport Prokaryote Prokaryotes Prokaryotic Prokaryotic cytoskeleton Proteasome Protein domains Proteinoplast Proton pump Pseudopodium RNA Radial spoke Ray Kurzweil Receptor-mediated endocytosis Red blood cell Ribosome Robert Hooke Saccharolipid Sarcolemma ScienceDaily Scramblase Secondary active transport Selectively permeable Self-assembly Semipermeable membrane Seymour Jonathan Singer Sialic acid Simple diffusion Solubilizing Solute carrier family Sonication Spectrin Sphingolipid Spindle pole body Spliceosome Sterol Structural motif Symbiogenesis Symporter T-tubule Tannosome Tight junction Tissue (biology)Transcription (biology)Transcytosis Transmembrane protein Trogocytosis Two-dimensional liquid Undulipodium Uniporter Vacuole Van der Waals force Vault (organelle)Vertebrate Vesicle (biology)Vesicle (biology and chemistry)Weibel–Palade body Wilhelm Hofmeister Wilhelm Pfeffer Yeast Zona pellucida

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