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Transport Across Plasma Membrane The plasma membrane covers all living cells, enabling the cells' contents to be held together and controls movement of substances into and out of the cell. Plasma membranes are made of phospholipids, proteins and carbohydrates. The phospholipids are essentially made out of two fatty acid chains and a phosphate-glycerol group. They are arranged in a bilayer with the hydrophilic phosphate head facing outwards and the hydrophobic fatty acid chains facing inwards and to each other in the middle of the bilayer. This effectively provides a barrier to all but the smallest molecules. In the membrane are proteins that have a number of functions. Those that span across the entire bilayer (from hydrophobic head to hydrophobic head) act as channels and carriers to transport substances across the membrane in active or facilitated diffusion. Those on the surface act as receptors with specific binding sites where hormones and other chemicals...

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