CELLULAR AND BIOMEMBRANES

- Root hairs placed into hundred of di erent

Topic: solution
De nition of Cell Membrane - Conclusion : dissolving power of the outer
Function boundary layer of cell matched that of fatty
Structure oil
Membrane Lipids E. Gorter & F. Grendel (1925)
Membrane Proteins - First proposal cellular membranes contain
Fluidity of Membrane lipid bilayer
Structural Support of Membrane - Extracted lipid from human red blood
Cell Membrane and Cell Potential cells
DEFINITION OF CELL MEMBRANE - Human red blood cells lack both nuclei and
★ 5-10 nm wide cytoplasmic organelles so lipid-containing
★ Serves as a border to prevent loss of critical cellular structure is only the plasma membrane
material - Conclusion: plasma membrane contained a
★ Prevents the loss of ATP Biomolecular layer of lipids
★ Acts as a di usion Barrier Cell Physiologist (1920’s and 1930’s)
- Lipid solubility was not sole determining
FUNCTIONS OF CELL MEMBRANE factor to whether a substance could
Compartmentalization penetrate plasma membrane
- Encloses the contents of the entire cell - Surface tension of membranes were
(plasma membrane) calculated lower than pure lipid structures
- Encloses diverse intracellular spaces - Presence of protein in the membrane
(nuclear & cytoplasmic membranes)
- Allows specialized activities to proceed STRUCTURE
without external interference - Determines the type of molecule or chemicals it
- Enables cellular activities to be regulated prevent from di using
independently of one another Outer Surfaces - hydrophilic
Sca old for biochemical activities - allow passages of molecules soluble in water
- Distinct compartment themselves Inner Layer - hydrophobic
Providing a selectively permeable barrier - inhibits passage of most water-soluble chemicals and
- Prevent unrestricted exchange of molecules molecules
- Provide means of communication between
compartments they separate TWO DISTINCT STRUCTURE OF PHOSPHOLIPIDS:
Transporting Solutes • Hydrophilic head group
- C o n t a i n s m a c h i n e r y f o r p hy s i c a l l y - Readily interact with water
transporting substances from one side to • Hydrophobic head group
another - Cluster that avoid interacting with water
- From low to high concentration - Inhibits the di usion of ions
Respond to External stimuli
- Plays a role in signal transduction Hollow Sphere - most stable structure for
- Response of cell to external stimuli phospholipids in water
- Posses receptors that combine with ligands Tight packing of phospholipids
(speci c molecules) - prevents larger molecules from di using across
Intercellular interaction - With this, the membrane determine which chemicals
- Allows cell to recognize and signal one it prevents from di using across it
another, adhere when appropriate and
exchange materials and information MEMBRANE LIPIDS
Energy transduction CHARACTERISTICS
- Involved in this process when one type of - AMPHIPHATIC
energy is converted to another - Contain both hydrophilic and hydrophobic
- Usually during photosynthesis regions
TYPES
MEMBRANE STRUCTURE AND ITS • Phosphoglycerides
HISTORY • Sphingolipids
Ernst Overton (1890s) • Cholesterol
- First insights of chemical nature of outer
boundary layer of cell
- nonpolar solutes dissolved more readily
with nonpolar solvents
- Polar solvents had opposite solubility
fi

ff

fi

ff

ff

ff

ff

ff

ff

 PHOSPHOGLYERIDES - Involved in the movement of

- membrane phospholipids ions and solutes across the
- Built on glycerol backbone membrane
- Have an additional group linked to phosphate: • Agents
• Choline (Phosphatidylcholine, PC) - Transfer electrons during the
• Ethanolamine (phosphatidylethanolamine, processes of photosynthesis
PE) and respiration
• Serine (Phosphatidylserine, PS) Peripherally-associated proteins
• Inositol (Phosphatidylinositol, PI) - Proteins associated with head groups or
- At Physiological pH, portions of integral membrane proteins
- Head groups of PS & PI are negatively charge - Transient
- Head groups of PC & PE are neutral - Associated with membrane by weak
- Phosphoglycerides contain 1 unsaturated & 1 electrostatic bond
saturated fatty acyl chain - Can be solubilized by extraction with high-
concentration salt solutions that weaken the
Unsaturated - one double bond electrostatic bonds holding peripheral
Saturated - lack double bond proteins to a membrane
Polyunsaturated - more than one double bond - Functions:
• P rov i d e s t r u c t u ra l s u p p o r t to
SPHINGOLIPIDS membranes
- Less abundant class of membrane lipids • Participate in transmitting cell
- Derivatives of sphigosine signaling events
- Amino alcohol with long hydrocarbon chain • Alter the topology of membranes in
the secretory pathway
CHOLESTEROL Covalent link between protein and phospholipid
- constitute up to 50% of lipid molecules in the - important type of interaction between protein and
plasma membrane (animal cells) membrane
- Cholesterol-like sterols (plant cells) - Occurs between amino acid in the C-terminus of
the protein and the head group of phospholipid
MEMBRANE PROTEINS
Membrane of only Phospholipids FLUIDITY OF MEMBRANES
- lack the ability to detect external molecules or Fluidity
conditions - physical state of the lipid of a membrane
Transition temperature
FUNCTION OF MEMBRANE PROTEINS: - temperature at which lipid is converted from
• Form channels in membranes liquid crystalline phase to a frozen crystalline
- Allows passage of speci c molecules or ions gel
• Receptors - Movement of phospholipid fatty acid chains is
- Detect the presence of speci c molecules or greatly restricted
ions - Depends on
• Interact with proteins in another membrane • the ability of the lipid molecules to be
- Generate sites of attachment between packed together
membranes and cells • Fatty acid chain length
TYPES OF MEMBRANE PROTEINS: NOTE:
Integral Membrane Proteins Saturated fatty acid - straight, exible rod
- Proteins that form channels, receptors or - packed more tightly
adhesion points
- Span membrane atleast once Cis-unsaturated fatty acid - crooks in the chains at
- Can cross the membrane several times the sites of double bond
- Permanently embedded in the membrane - less packed tightly
- Can only be removed through expenditure of
large amounts of energy or digestion Shorter fatty acyl chain - lower melting temp.
- Capacities:
• Receptors
- Bind to speci c substances at
the membrane surface
• Channels or Transporters

fi

fi

fi

fl

 MAINTAINING MEMBRANE FLUIDITY

To maintain membrane uid state, cells respond to
changing conditions by altering the types of
phospholipids of which they are made
Remodeling is accomplished by:
• Desaturing single bonds in fatty acyl chains
to form double bonds
• Reshu ing the chains between di erent
phospholipid molecules to produce ones that
contain two unsaturated fatty acids

Desaturases
- enzymes that desaturate of single bonds to form
double bonds
Phospholipases
- enzymes that reshu es by splitting the fatty acid
from glycerol backbone
Acyltransferases
- enzymes that transfer fatty acids between
phospholipids

Thermal Energy
- causes lipids and proteins to di use within
membranes

STRUCTURAL SUPPORT OF THE CELL

MEMBRANE
Cytoskeleton
- sits underneath the cell membrane in the cytoplasm
to provide structural support
- Provide structural support by interacting with
integral membrane proteins
- Limits the di usion of the membrane proteins
- Provides a stable framework to which membrane
proteins attach
Actin Filaments
- most common
- Form a mesh of laments under the cell membrane
Microtubules
- form unique structures

CELL MEMBRANE AND CELL POTENTIAL

Cells can establish di erent concentrations of ions
in the c ytosol compared to the external
environment
Cells can establish and maintain ion gradients
because ions cannot di use across the membrane
Ions can only cross through speci c protein that
form channels or pumps in the membrane
Cells precisely regulate the activity of channels and
pumps

Biological Role of Ion Gradients

• Cell Communication
- Active neurons send signals down their axons
by allowing sodium ions to enter the cytosol
and depolarize the axon
• Regular Enzyme Activity
ffl

ff

fi

ffl
ff

ff

fl

fi

ff
ff