The structure of a cell membrane is a phospholipid bilayer with protein molecules embedded in it. It is called fluid mosaic model and was put forward by the scientist Singer and Nicolson. It is also called Singer and Nicolson model of cell membrane.
The phospholipid bilayer consists of two
layers of phosphate head and lipid tail. The phosphate head is hydrophilic and
lipid tail is hydrophobic. The two layers are aligned in such a way that the
lipid ends face each other and phosphate end are in opposite direction. The
phospholipid bilayer is fluidic allowing the cell to undergo considerable
changes in the shape without disruption of structural integrity. The globular
proteins float in the fluid phospholipid layer giving a fluid mosaic pattern.
