Plasma Membrane Structure
1. Describe the purpose of the plasma membrane.
NAME:___________________________
2. Let’s look at the phospholipid bilayer. Below is an individual phospholipid. Draw and label your own
phospholipid to the right of it. Use blue for the phosphate head and yellow for the fatty acid tails
3. Do lipids like water? _________What is the scientific term for this attribute?_____________________
4. Describe how the phospholipids arrange themselves in the image to the below.
The model below shows how the proteins found in the plasma membrane could be found. This model of the
plasma membrane that has proteins floating (and they can move) in sheet of phospholipids.
6. Label the following in the membrane above
1. Inside of cell
2. Outside of cell
3. Protein
a. Enzymes
b. Transport Proteins
4. Phospholipid bilayer (use brackets)
5. Circle ONE phospholipid and label the:
a. Hydrophobic region
b. Hydrophilic region
c. Nonpolar tail
d. Polar head
7. Color the structures using the following key
RED: proteins
BLUE: hydrophilic heads (phosphate)
YELLOW: hydrophobic tails (lipids)
GREEN: inside the cell
BROWN: outside the cell
8. Draw and label on the membrane above:
1. Carbohydrate chains in orange
9. Now on a separate piece of paper describe the roles of enzymes, transport proteins, carbohydrate
chains, and the phospholipid bilayer in a plasma membrane.