Question

45 / 10000 Word Limit Question 2 (b) The membranes of both B cells and the cancer cells are largely composed of phospholipids. Explain how, when the membranes are fused, the polar parts of the phospholipids from one cell will interact with the phospholipids from the other cell and how the nonpolar parts of the phospholipids from one cell will interact with the phospholipids from the other cell.

Answer 1

Hydrophobic tails interact among themselves, while polar (hydrophilic) heads interact with water

Explanation:

In the first place, the polar heads of the phospholipids localized on the membrane surface interact with surrounding water molecules that also surround other cell phospholipids. Second, the non-polar tails of the phospholipids from one cell interact with molecules that repel water in the other cell phospholipid. Consequently, it forms a bilayer structure composed of two sheets of phospholipids where hydrophobic tails are arranged on the inside of the membrane, thereby allowing the interaction tail-to-tail among different cell membranes, while the polar heads of the disrupted phospholipid membranes interact together with the surrounding water.