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Detail of lipids in cell membranes.

Detail of lipids in cell membranes.
Detail of lipids in cell membranes.
Detail of lipids in cell membranes.
Detail of lipids in cell membranes.
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197453
Caracappa-Qubeck, Amy
Detail of lipids in cell membranes.
Illustration
12/29/2011
Lipids-01.jpg
Caption from Oceanus magazine, Vol. 49, No. 1, page 22:
Lipids in cell membranes position themselves so that their hydrophilic (water-loving) heads align toward water, while their hydrophobic (water-avoiding) tails point away, forming a double layer of lipids that act as a barrier in and out of the cell.
Image of The Day caption:
The cell membranes of single-celled marine life are mostly made of fatty compounds called lipids. They have a distinctive structure with hydrophilic (water-loving) "heads" and hydrophobic (water-avoiding) "tails" and are aligned in a double layer, with the heads facing toward the watery interior and exterior of the cell. This creates a membrane that acts as a gateway for fluids and other molecules passing in either direction. Different kinds of microbes can have different types of lipids in their membranes. MIT-WHOI Joint Program graduate student Kim Popendorf has studied lipids in Ben Van Mooy's lab, and is working to devise new tools to help identify marine microbes and the metabolic processes they use to live and grow.
Illustration by Amy Caracappa-Qubeck
© Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
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