Question

Describe the relationship between the cell membrane and water.

Be sure to include in your answer the phosphate head and lipid tail of the membrane and what role they play in allowing water in or out of the cell.

Answer 1

The movement of water across cell membranes is essential for cellular integrity but can cause problems. A small difference in solute concentration results in a very large osmotic pressure gradient across the cell membrane and the cell membranes of animal cells where as the cell membrane cannot withstand any further increase in pressure gradient. Water movement has the ability to eliminate differences in osmolality across the cell membrane but this alone is itself a problem as because it is responsible for the alteration of cell volume. Hence consequently regulation of intracellular solute concentration is very much essential for control of cell volume.