Introduction to Cell Transport
Cells are found in all different types of environments, and these environments are constantly changing. For example, one-celled organisms, like bacteria, can be found on your skin, in the ground, or in all different types of water. Therefore, cells need a way to protect themselves. This job is done by the cell membrane, which is also known as the plasma membrane.
Controlling the Cell Contents
The cell membrane is semipermeable, or selectively permeable, which means that only some molecules can pass through the membrane. If the cell membrane were completely permeable, the inside of the cell would be the same as the outside of the cell. It would be impossible for the cell to maintain homeostasis. Homeostasis means maintaining a stable internal environment. For example, if your body cells have a temperature of 98.6°F, and it is freezing outside, your cells will maintain homeostasis if the temperature of the cells stays the same and does not drop with the outside temperature.
How does the cell ensure it is semipermeable? How does the cell control what molecules enter and leave the cell? The composition of the cell membrane helps to control what can pass through it.
Composition of the Cell Membrane
Molecules in the cell membrane allow it to be semipermeable. The membrane is made of a double layer of phospholipids (a "bilayer") and proteins (Figure below). Recall that phospholipids, being lipids, do not mix with water. It is this quality that allows them to form the outside barrier of the cell.
A single phospholipid molecule has two parts:
A head that is hydrophilic, or water-loving.
A tail that is hydrophobic, or water-fearing.
There is water found on both the inside and the outside of cells. Since hydrophilic means water-loving, and they want to be near water, the heads face the inside and outside of the cell where water is found. The water-fearing, hydrophobic tails face each other in the middle of the cell membrane, because water is not found in this space. The phospholipid bilayer allows the cell to stay intact in a water-based environment.
An interesting quality of the plasma membrane is that it is very "fluid" and constantly moving, like a soap bubble. Due to the composition of the cell membrane, small molecules such as oxygen and carbon dioxide can pass freely through the membrane, but other molecules cannot easily pass through the plasma membrane. These molecules need assistance to get across the membrane. That assistance will come in the form of transport proteins.
Source: ck12