Tethered integral membrane proteins may be largely exposed to either the cytoplasm or aqueous extracellular space, but are covalently linked to membrane phospholipids or glycolipids 4. Membrane Dynamics A. Lipid Asymmetry 1. Flip flop to the opposite side of the membrane is rare. At low temperatures cholesterol helps prevent membranes from freezing and thus tends to maintain membrane fluidity. C. Protein Asymmetry 1.
Some proteins are free to move.
Others may be tethered to structures in the cytoplasm or extracellular spaces, thus restricting their movement. E. Membrane Protein Conformational Changes 1. help explain many many membrane functions 2. The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity educator and employer.