Question

Animals exploit the phospholipid asymmetry of their plasma membrane to distinguish between live cells and dead ones. When animal cells undergo a form of programmed cell death called apoptosis, phosphatidylserine—a phospholipid that is normally confined to the cytosolic monolayer of the plasma membrane—rapidly translocates to the extracellular, outer monolayer. The presence of phosphatidylserine on the cell surface serves as a signal that helps direct the rapid removal of the dead cell. How might a cell actively engineer this phospholipid redistribution?

Answer 1

Answer:

In multi cellular organisms a programmed cell death process occurs which is known as apoptosis.

Explanation:

Throughout apoptosis, scramblase is activated and flippase is inactivated. When the apoptosis is activated the phospholipids are transferred from one mono layer to another. This will cause the phospholipid to be equally distributed in the bilayer.

The inactivation of the flippase will cause the phospholipid to accumulate at the cell surface. In this way the cell actively engineers the phospholipid redistribution.