For Printing and personal use ONLY DO NOT Hand in this copy

For Printing and personal use ONLY. DO NOT Hand in this copy of the assignment. Only responses submitted to the corresponding D2L quiz will be graded. The D2L version is exactly like this document. Membrane proteins are proteins that are suspended within the lipid bilayer of a membrane. They are held in place because some R-groups of the protein interact with the phosphate heads of the phospholipids of the membrane, while other R-groups of the protein interact with the hydrocarbon tails of the phospholipids of the membrane. From the amino acids shown below, which one likely has an R-group that interacts with the phopholipid tails? If a cell has some salt inside it but lacks ion channels, and the cell is put into a beaker of pure water, what will happen?

Solution

Leucine (green color) is most likely to be part of the protein that interact with the hydrocarbon chain of phospholipid in the membrane (since it is hydrophobic amino acid)