Home Forum Dictionary Articles Tutorials Books Directory Share your work


Edit page | Page history | Printable version

Dictionary » M » Membrane

Membrane

Definition

noun, plural: membranes

(1) (biology) A thin layer of tissue covering a surface or lining a cavity, space or organ.

(2) (biology) A cell membrane.

(3) (chemistry) A thin pliable sheet of material that is permeable to substances in solution.


Supplement

A biological membrane functions by protecting the surface or bodily organ. It acts as a barrier against injurious substances. It also acts as a film or covering separating two regions. It may also connect structures or organs of an animal or a plant.


Word origin: Latin membrāna, skin, from membrum, member of the body.

Related terms:


Please contribute to this project, if you have more information about this term feel free to edit this page



Results from our forum


Re: membrane-bound enzyme?

Here is another way to read that sentence. A protein, bound to the membrane, is able to act as a receptor molecule to bind to a mobile enzyme (in the case of photosynthesis, this is probably referring to a membrane-soluble electron carrier such as ferredoxin ...

See entire post
by jonmoulton
Wed Dec 30, 2009 3:50 pm
 
Forum: Molecular Biology
Topic: membrane-bound enzyme?
Replies: 9
Views: 115

membrane-bound enzyme?

i can understand the meaning of "protein can serve as membrane-bound receptor molecule (e.g. in photosynthesis)" but not "protein can serve as membrane-bound enzyme receptor molecule (e.g. in photosynthesis)" does it actually mean ...

See entire post
by twinklestar1012
Wed Dec 30, 2009 12:00 pm
 
Forum: Molecular Biology
Topic: membrane-bound enzyme?
Replies: 9
Views: 115

Re: membrane-bound enzyme?

"protein can act as a membrane-bound receptor molecule" Yes. Enzyme is a way of 'acting' or 'serving'. It is what the protein can do. It is the protein's function. So you have 'protein' - composed of amino acids in a specific ...

See entire post
by kolean
Tue Dec 29, 2009 2:41 pm
 
Forum: Molecular Biology
Topic: membrane-bound enzyme?
Replies: 9
Views: 115

membrane-bound enzyme?

Oh I see... then how come the sentence includes "enzyme"? doesn' it only mean that "protein can act as a membrane-bound receptor molecule"?

See entire post
by twinklestar1012
Tue Dec 29, 2009 4:36 am
 
Forum: Molecular Biology
Topic: membrane-bound enzyme?
Replies: 9
Views: 115

membrane-bound enzyme?

The whole sentence as you stated in the beginning is correct: a protein can serve as a membrane-bound receptor molecule. Ligand is the molecule that the protein (membrane-bound receptor) receives in it's ' binding site (or a binding domain)'. Ligands could be a protein ...

See entire post
by kolean
Mon Dec 28, 2009 6:49 pm
 
Forum: Molecular Biology
Topic: membrane-bound enzyme?
Replies: 9
Views: 115
View all matching forum results

This page was last modified 09:14, 5 January 2010. This page has been accessed 8,947 times. 
What links here | Related changes | Permanent link