Cell Wall vs Cell Membrane
Cell Wall and Cell Membrane are often considered one and the same thing. In fact they are not so. There is difference between the two. The two words have to be understood in the right sense. You would find cell wall in plant cells and cell membrane in animal cells. This is one of the most important differences between cell wall and cell membrane.
Cell wall is a tough and a rigid layer that surrounds the cells mostly the plant cells. It is in fact located outside the cell membrane. Cell wall offers complete protection to the cells. Cell membrane on the other hand is a layer that keeps the interior of the cells protected from the outside environment.
The main function of the cell membrane is to control the movement of substances in and out of the cell. On the other hand the main function of the cell wall is to officiate as a pressure vessel that assists in keeping over-expansion of the cell at bay. This is the main difference between the function of cell wall and cell membrane.
It is found out that cell membranes play a vital role in several cellular processes such as cell adhesion, cell signaling and ion conductivity. Cell wall on the other hand renders easy the process of water retention by the cell.
Cell wall is flexible and it would also bend and is characterized by considerable tensile strength too. On the other hand cell membrane is polarized. It causes the movement of the material in and out of the cell.
One of the finest differences between cell wall and cell membrane is that cell wall is fully permeable. On the other hand cell membrane is semi-permeable. Cell wall is made of cellulose to a great extent whereas cell membrane contains proteins and lipids to a great extent. It is interesting to note that cell membrane is also called as plasma lemma.
It is interesting to note that cell membrane contains carbohydrates and steroids too along with sugars. Cell wall has lipoproteins too in addition to cellulose.
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