Phospholipids assemble to form

Phospholipids assemble to form

• A. Micelles
• B. Lipid bilayers
• C. Protein networks
• D. Carbohydrate plaques

Answer: (B)

Phospholipids are amphipathic, with hydrophilic heads and hydrophobic tails. In water, they arrange so that the tails are shielded from the aqueous environment while the heads face outward. The two-tail geometry promotes the formation of a stable two-layer sheet, a lipid bilayer, which can seal into closed membranes. This bilayer is the fundamental structure of cell membranes and delineates compartments by providing a continuous, flexible barrier. Micelles can form from lipids with a single tail, but phospholipids with two tails preferentially assemble into bilayers rather than single-molecule micelles. Protein networks involve proteins rather than lipid units, and carbohydrate plaques are not formed by phospholipid assemblies.

Phospholipids are amphipathic, with hydrophilic heads and hydrophobic tails. In water, they arrange so that the tails are shielded from the aqueous environment while the heads face outward. The two-tail geometry promotes the formation of a stable two-layer sheet, a lipid bilayer, which can seal into closed membranes. This bilayer is the fundamental structure of cell membranes and delineates compartments by providing a continuous, flexible barrier. Micelles can form from lipids with a single tail, but phospholipids with two tails preferentially assemble into bilayers rather than single-molecule micelles. Protein networks involve proteins rather than lipid units, and carbohydrate plaques are not formed by phospholipid assemblies.