membrane

Click a letter for the index

Or search the encyclopaedia:

 

 

Go

 

In living things, a continuous layer, made up principally of fat molecules, that encloses a cell or organelles within a cell. Small molecules, such as water and sugars, can pass through the cell membrane by diffusion. Large molecules, such as proteins, are transported across the membrane via special channels, a process often involving energy input. The Golgi apparatus within the cell is thought to produce certain membranes.

In cell organelles, enzymes may be attached to the membrane at specific positions, often alongside other enzymes involved in the same process, like workers at a conveyor belt. Thus membranes help to make cellular processes more efficient.

The flag may have been based on that of Schwyz, one of the original cantons of the Confederation. While the national flag is square, a rectangular flag is used on Swiss lakes and rivers. Effective date: 12 December 1889. >>