fluid mosaic model


flu·id mo·sa·ic mod·el

a model for the structure of a biomembrane, with lateral diffusibility of constituents and little, if any, flip-flop motion across the biomembrane.

fluid mosaic model

A representation of the structure of the cell membrane, in which protein molecules are dispersed in a phospholipid bilayer.See also: model

fluid mosaic model

A widely accepted account of the structure of the cell membrane, as consisting of a two-molecule layer of phospholipid with proteins embedded in it. The phospholipid layer has the physical properties of a fluid so that the proteins can move about relatively freely.