Question

How would the membrane shown in the transparency behave if it's fatty acid tails consisted mostly of unsaturated fatty acids?

Answer 1

Membranes rich in unsaturated fatty acids maintain fluidity at lower temperatures due to kinks in the fatty acid tails, which prevent close packing and thus ensure the membrane remains functional in cold environments.

Step-by-step explanation:

If a membrane's fatty acid tails consisted mostly of unsaturated fatty acids, the behavior of the membrane would differ from one with saturated fatty acids. Unsaturated fatty acids have kinks or bends due to the presence of double bonds, which prevents the fatty acids from packing tightly together. These kinks create elbow room that helps to maintain membrane fluidity even at lower temperatures, where saturated fatty acids would cause the membrane to solidify and become less fluid. This increased fluidity is crucial in cold environments to prevent the membrane from becoming too rigid and susceptible to damage.

Answer 2

Fatty acid tails consisted of mostly unsaturated fatty acids. The membrane which consist of a Phospholipid Bilayer would be much more permeable than when it is consisted of saturated fats. Therefore plasma membrane would become more fluid to allow specific membrane proteins to bind to it.