Chapter 8
Membrane Structure & Function
Plasma membrane
- controls traffic into and out of the cell
- selectively permeable  allows some substance to cross
it more easily than others
MEMBRANE STRUCTURE
Composed of…
1. Lipids
2. Proteins  amphipathic
Phospholipids
- most abundant lipids in most membranes
- amphipathic molecule  has a hydrophilic and
hydrophobic region
Fluid Mosaic Model
- membrane is a fluid structure with various proteins
embedded in or attached to a bilayer of phosholipids
Membrane Models
Charles Overton
- membranes are made of lipids
Irving Langmuir
- made artificial membranes by adding phospholipids
dissolved in benzene to water
E. Gorter and F. Grendel
- cell membranes must actually be phospholipid bilayers, 2
molecules thik
Hugh Davson and James Danielli
- sandwich model
- phospholipid bilayer between two layers of globular protein
- eventually became accepted as structure of plasma and
internal membranes
- 2 problems with their model
 not all membranes of the cell are identical 
membranes with different fcns differ in structure and
chemical composition
 placement of proteins  membrane proteins are
amphipathic not very soluble in H2O
S.J. Singer and G. Nicolson
- membrane proteins are disperse and individually inserted
into the phospholipid bilayer with only their hydrophilic
regions protruding far enough from the bilayer to be
exposed to water
- membrane is a mosaic of protein molecules bobbing in a
fluid bilayer of phospholipids  fluid mosaic model
Membranes are Fluid
- membrane is held together primarily by hydrophobic
interactions  weaker than covalent bonds
- most of the lipids and some proteins can drift about
laterally
- lateral movt of phospholipids within the membrane is rapid
- some proteins move more slowly while others are held
immobile by attachment to cytoskeleton
- remains fluid as temperature decreases until the
phospholipids settle into closely packed arrangement 
membrane solidifies
- membrane remains in fluid to a lower temperature if it is
rich in phospholipids with unsaturated hydrocarbon tails
- membranes must be fluid to work properly
- when a membrane solidifies…
 permeability changes
 enzymatic proteins in membrane may become inactive
- cells can alter the lipid composition of their membranes as an
adjustment to changing temperature
Membranes are Mosaics of Structure and Function
- membrane is collage of diff proteins embedded in fluid matrix
of the phospholipid bilayer
- proteins determine most of the membrane’s specific functions
2 Populations of Membrane Proteins
1. Integral proteins
 penetrate the hydrophobic core of the lipid bilayer
 many are transmembrane proteins  completely span the
membrane
 hydrophobic regions consist of stretches of nonpolar
amino acids usually coiled into alpha helices
 hydrophilic parts are exposed to aqueous solns on either
side of the membrane
2. Peripheral proteins
 not embedded in lipid bilayer
 appendages loosely bound to the surface of the
membrane  often to the exposed parts of the integral
proteins
Cytoplasmic side of plasma membrane
- some membrane proteins are held in place by attachment to
the cytoskeleton
Exterior side
- certain membrane proteins are attached to fibers of the ECM
- these attachments combine to give animal cells a stronger
external framework
Sidedness of the plasma membrane
- distinct inside and outside faces
- two lipid layers may differ in lipid composition
- each protein has a directional orientation in the membrane
- plasma membrane has carbohydrates on the exterior side only
- molecules the start out on the inside face of the ER end up on
the outside face of the plasma membrane
6 Functions of Proteins in the Plasma Membrane
1. transport
2. enzymatic activity
 a protein built into the membrane may be an enzyme with
its active site exposed to substances in the adjacent soln
3. signal transduction
 a membrane protein may have a binding site that fits the
shape of a chemical messenger (eg. Hormone)
4. intercellular joining
5. cell-cell recognition
6. attachment to the cytoskeleton and ECM
 elements of cytoskeleton may be bonded to membrane
proteins
Carbohydrates and Cell-Cell Recognition
- cell-cell recognition is the cell’s ability to distinguish one type of
neighboring cell from another
- crucial to functioning of organism
- impt in sorting of cells into tissues and organs
- basis for rejection of foreign cells by immune system
- cells recognize each other by keying on surface molecules
(carbo) on plasma membrane
- membrane carbo are usually fewer than 15 sugar units OSMOSIS
(oligosaccharides) - passive transport of water across a selectively permeable
- oligosaccharides + lipids  glycolipids membrane
- oligosaccharides + proteins  glycoproteins - hypertonic
- oligosaccharides on external side of p. membrane vary  higher concentration of solutes
 from species to species  lower water concentration
 among individuals of same species - hypotonic
 from one cell type to another in a single individual  lower concentration of solutes
- diversity of molecules and their locations on the cell’s  higher water concentration
surface enable oligosaccharides to function as markers - isotonic
 equal concentration of solute
SELECTIVE PERMEABILITY  water moves across membrane at an equal rate in both
- Steady traffic of small molecules and ions moves across directions
the plasma membrane in both directions  no net osmosis
- Substances don’t cross the barrier indiscriminately - water will diffuse from hypotonic to hypertonic even if hypotonic
- Substances also move through the membrane at diff rates has more kinds of solutes
- determined only by total solute concentration
Permeability of the Lipid Bilayer
- Hydrophobic molecules WATER BALANCE
 ex. Hydrocarbons, CO2, and oxygen
 can dissolve in the lipid bilayer of membrane and Hypotonic Isotonic Hypertonic
cross it with ease Animal Cell Lysed Normal Shriveled
- hydrophobic core of membrane impedes transport of polar Plant Cell Turgid (N) flaccid Plasmolyzed
molecules
 ions
 polar molecules Water Balance of Cells Without Walls
 charged atom or molecule - isotonic  volume of animal cell is stable
- proteins built into the membrane play key roles in - hypertonic env relative to cell  cell will lose water  shrivel
regulating transport  die
- hypotonic  water will enter faster than it leaves  cell will
Transport Protein swell and lyse/burst
- cell membranes are permeable to specific ions and polar - cell without rigid walls can tolerate neither excessive uptake or
molecules including water loss of water
- hydrophilic substances avoid contact with lipid bilayer by - osmoregulation  control of water balance
passing through transport proteins
- span the membrane Water Balance of Cells With Walls
- act as tunnels - wall helps maintain the cell’s water balance
- hold onto their passengers and physically move them - elastic wall will expand only so much before it exerts back a
across membrane pressure on cell that opposes further water uptake  turgid
- specific for substances it moves - flaccid  limp
- allows on the specific substance or its close relative to - hypertonic  lose water  shrink  plasmolysis
corss
FACILITATED DIFFUSION
PASSIVE TRANSPORT - Diffusion of substances with the help of transport proteins
- Diffusion across a biological membrane - Passive transport
- Cell doesn’t have to expend energy to make it happen - Speeds transport of solute by providing an efficient passage
- Concentration gradient itself represents PE and drives through the membrane
diffusion - Does not alter the direction of transport
- Membranes are selectively permeable  affect rates of
diffusion of various molecules Enzyme Transport Protein
- Specific for its substrate - Specialized for solute it
Diffusion - Has an active site transports
- Molecules have intrinsic KE called thermal motion - May even have specific
- Result of thermal motion is diffusion  tendency for binding site
molecules of any substance to spread out into available Can be saturated Can be saturated
space (When molecules are
- Substance will spread until both sides have equal translocating passengers as
concentrations fast as they can  transport
- Dynamic equilbrium  no net movement is at maximum rate)
- Rule  in absence of other forces, a substance will diffuse Can be inhibited by Can be inhibited by
down its concentration gradient molecules that resemble the molecules that resemble the
- Diffusion is a spontaneous process because it decreases normal “substrate” normal “substrate”
free energy (Occurs when imposter
- unaffected by concentration differences of other competes with normally
substances transported solute by binding
to transport protein)
 Catalyze chemical reactions Catalyze physical reactions
(Transport of molecule across 2. PINOCYTOSIS
a membrane)  cellular drinking
 cell gulps droplets of extracellular fluid into tiny vesicles
aquaporins  unspecific in substance it transports  solutes dissolved
- Water channel proteins in fluid are also taken in
- Facilitate the massive amounts of diffusion illustrated
3. RECEPTOR-MEDIATED ENDOCYTOSIS
GATED CHANNELS  specific
- Some channel proteins fcn as these  embedded in membrane are proteins with specific
- stimulus causes them to open or close receptor sites exposed to extracellular fluid
 electrical  extracellular substances that bind to receptors are called
 chemical  substance other than the one to be ligands  general term for any molecule that binds
transported specifically to a receptor site of another molecule
TRANSPORT PROTEINS  receptor protein are clustered in regions called coated pits
- not all are channel proteins  coated by protein
- Many seem to undergo a subtle change in shape that  enables the cell to acquire bulk quantities of specific
somehow translocates the solute-binding site across the substances even though those substances may not be
membrane very concentrated in the extracellular fluid
ACTIVE TRANSPORT vesicles
- Pumping of solutes against their gradients - transport substances between cell and its surroundings
- Transport proteins move solutes against their - provide a mechanism for rejuvenating/remodeling the plasma
concentration gradients  requires work membrane
- Cell must expend its own metabolic energy - endocytosis and exocytosis occur continually to some extent in
- Major factor in cell’s ability to maintain internal most eukaryotic cells and yet amount of plasma membrane
concentrations of small molecules that differ from remains constant
concentrations in environment - addition of membrane by one process offsets the loss of
- Work is performed by specific proteins embedded in membrane by the other
membrane

Electrochemical Gradient
Cotransport
SEE pp. 149-151 if needed

EXOCYTOSIS
- Large molecules (proteins and polysaccharides) generally
cross the membrane by vesicles
- Cell secretes macromolecules by fusion of vesicles with
plasma membrane
- A transport vesicle that has budded from Golgi moves
along cytoskeleton to plasma membrane
- Vesicle and plasma membrane come into contact  lipid
molecules of two bilayers rearrange themselves to fuse
the 2 membranes
- Many secretory cells use this to export their products
- Ex. Insulin in pancreas, neurons
- Plant cells  deliver carbo from Golgi vesicles to outside
of cell

ENDOCYTOSIS
- Cell takes in macromolecules and particulate matter by
forming new vesicles from plasma membrane
- Small area of plasma membrane sinks inward to form a
pocket
- Pocket deepens  pinches in  forming a vesicle
containing material to the outside of the cell

1. PHAGOCYTOSIS
 Cellular eating
 Cell engulfs particle by wrapping a pseudopodia
around it and packaging it within a membrane-
enclosed sac large enough to be classified as a
vacuole
 Particle is digested after vacuole fuses with a
lysosome containing hydrolytic enzymes