medium · MCAT bio-biochem
How does the presence of cholesterol affect the fluidity of a biological membrane at high and low temperatures?
- Cholesterol decreases membrane fluidity at all temperatures by increasing the overall thickness of the lipid bilayer.
- Cholesterol increases fluidity at all temperatures because it disrupts the tight packing of the fatty acid tails.
- Cholesterol acts as a 'fluidity buffer,' decreasing fluidity at high temperatures and increasing it at low temperatures.
- Cholesterol has no real effect on fluidity, since its only physiological role is in intracellular signaling cascades.
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