Which of the Following Factors Would Tend to Increase Membrane

Question

Which of the following factors would tend to increase membrane fluidity?
A)a greater proportion of unsaturated phospholipids
B)a greater proportion of saturated phospholipids
C)a lower temperature
D)a relatively high protein content in the membrane
E)a greater proportion of relatively large glycolipids compared with lipids having smaller molecular masses

Accepted Answer

Unsaturated phospholipids have one or more double bonds in their hydrocarbon tails, which creates a kink in the tail and prevents the phospholipids from packing closely together. This increases the space between adjacent phospholipids and increases membrane fluidity.