Over 40 years ago, Frye and Edidin conducted experiments where they fused human

Question

Over 40 years ago, Frye and Edidin conducted experiments where they fused human cells with mouse cells. This generated one cell known as a heterokaryon. The human cells were marked (ie, ‘tagged’) with red proteins attached via a lipid anchor to the surface of the membrane. The mouse cell was tagged with green proteins attached via a lipid anchor on the surface of the membrane. As time went by, what do you think the cell surface of the heterokaryon looked like under a microscrope? Was there a mixture of green and red proteins interspersed across the surface, or was one side of the heterokaryon green and other side red? Explain your reasoning.

Explanation / Answer

The Result of the Experiment would be a Heterokaryon with a composition of red and green proteins interspersed across the surface.

The reason for this is the random distribution and free lateral mobility of proteins(told green and red) in the plane of the membrane and implying the Fluid Mosaic model of a membrane.

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