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Question

How is cell membrane is different from the plasma membrane?

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Solution

Cell Membrane:-

The cell membrane is a type of plasma membrane that encloses the entire contents of a cell, including the cytoplasm and all the organelles.

The cell membrane is not always the outermost layer of the cell since plant cells also have a cell wall that further encloses the cell membrane.

Animal cells however have no cell wall and the cell membrane is the barrier between the inner contents of the cell and the external environment.

The cell membrane consists of a phospholipid bilayer that also contains integral proteins. Integral proteins often span the membrane and provide pathways for molecules to move through the membrane.

Plasma Membrane:-

The plasma membrane is a membrane that surrounds individual organelles or the contents of a cell. The cell membrane is a type of plasma membrane that encloses the cell.

There are plasma membranes found surrounding both the cytoplasm and contents of a cell and surrounding individual organelles such as chloroplasts and mitochondria.

This means that plasma membranes have several different functions depending on where they are located.

The structure of the membrane can vary depending on what it surrounds, whether that is the entire cell or an organelle in the cell.


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