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Membrane fluidity

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I need help this this problem. Please explain what happen in each case.

9) A bacterium is suddenly expelled from a warm human intestine into the cold world outside. Predict what kind of adjustments the bacterium might make to maintain the same level of membrane fluidity?
A. decrease the amount of glycolipids in the membrane
B. increase the length of the hydrocarbon tails in its membrane phospholipids
C. increase the proportion of hydrocarbon tails with no double bounds in its membrane phospholipids
D. increase the proportion of unsaturated hydrocarbon tails in its membrane phospholipids
E. decrease the amount of cholesterol in the membrane

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Solution Summary

Explanation of the adaptations to membrane fluidity that a gastrointestinal bacteria must make.

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9) A bacterium is suddenly expelled from a warm human intestine into the cold world outside. Predict what kind of adjustments the bacterium might make to maintain the same level of membrane fluidity?

A. decrease the amount of glycolipids in the membrane
False. Glycolipids are lipids with hydrophilic components that aid in attaching proteins to the surface of the plasma membrane (like a GPI anchor). They ...

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