Chapter 4: Teaching guide

Cell membranes and transport

Resources available
Topic name Syllabus Number of Coursebook material Teacher CD
outcomes lessons resources
(suggested)

Membrane • Pages 73–78

4.1(a), (b), • SAQ 4.1
structure and 4
(c) • EOCQs 1–3, 6a,
roles
6b, 8
4.2(a), (b), • Pages 79–88
Transport across Practicals 4.1–4.7
(c), (d), (e), 9 • SAQ 4.2–4.8
membranes • EOCQs 4–7, 9–12 Homework 4.1
(f)
• Boxes 4.1–4.4

Topic 1 Membrane structure and roles

Suggested activities
Possible starters
• Some revision of syllabus sections 1 (Cell structure) and 2 (Biological molecules) will be needed.
Ask students why membranes are important. Try to elicit from students information about the
structure of fatty acids, glycerol and triglycerides. Check their understanding of the terms
hydrophilic and hydrophobic. Relevant space-filling models should still be available. Students
could try to predict the behaviour of phospholipids in water using role-play described below (see
‘Main lesson content’, second bullet point).
Main lesson content
• The dynamic nature of the fluid mosaic model of membrane structure is illustrated in animations
of the model available on the internet.
• A phospholipid role-play can be performed, either before or after explaining the behaviour of
phospholipids in water. Each student is a phospholipid molecule. All stand with arms outstretched
in front of them – arms are fatty acid tails and heads are phosphate heads. Imagine one half of the
room is full of water (indicate an imaginary line across the room). Ask students to stand in the
correct position in the room. Then imagine the whole room is full of water. Where do you stand?
Students will hopefully gradually work out that they have to form circles with arms facing
inwards. If crowded, they will have to form bilayers.
Common misunderstandings and misconceptions
• Confusion between the properties of cell walls and cell surface membranes can occur (EOCQ 8
requires students to compare the two structures).
• Students do not always know what a mosaic is. It would be useful to have a picture of one. The
concept of a fluid mosaic is difficult – the idea that the pieces of mosaic are moving about (i.e. are
fluid) in a medium which is also fluid needs to be grasped. Some students erroneously think of it
as a fluid in which pieces of immobile mosaic are anchored, like rocks in the sea.

Cambridge International AS and A Level Biology © Cambridge University Press 2014 1

Supporting struggling students
• As a class exercise or as a demonstration, make a model membrane. Students could work in groups
to make different components of the membrane. Make modelling clay models of phospholipids
and cholesterol; also proteins which will span the membrane – make an ion channel protein (two
strips with a space between). Add a gate to the protein. It is easier to explain SEMs of freeze-
fractured membranes using such models (refer to Figure 4.3 in the Coursebook).

Challenging high achievers

• Cell signalling is an important branch of biology. Students could try to write a simple account of
the technique, useful in cell signalling research, which uses a combination of fluorescence and
confocal microscopy. Alternatively, students could try to compile a list of diseases caused by
faults in cell signalling.
• A more detailed version of Figure 4.8 in the Coursebook could be prepared, possibly as a poster
presentation.
Homework suggestions
• If not done in lessons, search the internet for animations of the dynamic nature of the fluid mosaic
model.
• Using Chapter 4 in the Coursebook, review the roles of the membrane components. Make a list of
the specific roles of cell surface membranes.
• SAQ 4.1
• EOCQs 1–4, 8
Other recommended resources
Alberts, B. et al. (2013) Essential Cell Biology, 4th edn. Garland Science
Highly recommended. This classic book has a variety of resources for students that are freely available
at www.garlandscience.com/ECB4-students. There are over 130 video clips, animations, molecular
structures and micrographs. The following are useful animations with explanatory narration.
• ‘Membrane Structure’: Fluidity of the lipid bilayer, Lipids and lipid bilayer
• ‘Membrane Transport’: Na+/K+ pump, Membrane effects in a red blood cell (including
demonstration of osmosis), Transport by carrier proteins, Glucose uptake, Potassium channel

cellpics.cimr.cam.ac.uk/cell_signalling.html
An appreciation of the importance of cell signalling can be obtained with this interactive presentation
on the CELLpics website.

www.johnkyrk.com
John Kyrk’s website has an animation on cell membranes including a detailed account of structure.

Hancock, JT. (2010) Cell Signalling, 3rd edn. Oxford University Press
A detailed, well-illustrated account of cell signalling for students who wish to extend their knowledge
of this important branch of modern biology.

Topic 2 Transport across membranes

Suggested activities
Possible starters
• Students will already be aware of the importance of controlling transport across membranes, most
recently when covering the topic of cell signalling – this could provide a link between Topics 1
and 2. This is also an opportunity to revise GCSE knowledge of the topic. This is one of the key
features of all cells, as will have been discussed if the question ‘Why cells?’ was considered
(Syllabus section 1, ‘Cell structure’).

Cambridge International AS and A Level Biology © Cambridge University Press 2014 2

Main lesson content
• Use the table in EOCQ 7 for a class quiz competition. Project the table and label the 20 blank cells
1 to 20. Two teams of students can alternate in drawing numbers at random. If a team fails to
answer a question, it can be passed to the other team. The table in EOCQ 8 could also be used as
revision for Topic 1.
• EOCQ 11 is quite challenging and could be used at the end of the topic for testing application of
knowledge after the basic principles have been understood. The figure showing graphs could be
projected and the questions discussed (see ‘Challenging high achievers’ below).
• Use the modelling clay membrane model from Topic 1 to model diffusion and inhibition/closing
of a gated protein. Small balls of clay can represent ions. Assemble ions either side of the
membrane and work out in which direction diffusion will occur. The sodium–potassium pump
could be modelled. The effect of closing the gate could be discussed. The cystic fibrosis mutation
is an interesting one to model. (See ‘Supporting struggling students’, below.)
• Osmosis can be modelled by using a pump to blow up a balloon inside a box. Bursting the balloon
is impossible unless the pump is more powerful than the box. Without a box, the balloon can burst.
Compare a plant cell and an animal cell filling with water. This can be a ‘thought experiment’. An
alternative is to fit the balloon to a tap – this could be messier but uses water and so is more like
osmosis.
• A practical involving immersion of animal cells in solutions of different water potential should be
carried out. Small volumes (e.g. 25 cm3) of defibrinated mammalian blood (e.g. horse blood) can
be bought from biological suppliers. A 0.9% sodium chloride solution has about the same water
potential as mammalian blood.
• Students will answer questions more successfully if they can master the large number of scientific
terms associated with this topic. EOCQ 5 is designed to test this ability. It contains 16 different
terms. If done in class, individual students could be asked to construct a sentence containing one of
the terms, possibly on a competitive basis (see first bullet point above). A more interesting and
challenging exercise might be to construct two follow-me snakes.
A follow-me snake is a sequence of cards lined up to form a snake. Each card has one step of a
process described. The first card should say START, the last FINISH. Use EOCQ 5, but do not
give the students the scientific terms.
A circus could be set up with four groups of students, two starting with EOCQ 5a and two with
EOCQ 5b. After a few minutes, the 5a groups pass their snakes to the 5b groups and vice versa to
see if they can improve on the sequence. The final versions can be discussed with the scientific
terms from EOCQ 5 made available.
• Practical 4.2 – note the use of a red onion, which shows plasmolysis more clearly due to the red
pigment (anthocyanin) in the vacuoles.

Common misunderstandings and misconceptions

• It is common for students to think that as a solution becomes more concentrated, its solute
potential increases. Rather than thinking of it as decreasing (something getting smaller), it is
helpful to use the phrase ‘getting more negative’ (more implies something larger). Similarly, the
expressions ‘higher’ and ‘lower’ can be confused because a dilute solution has a higher solute
potential (less negative) than a concentrated solution. It is useful to show a vertical scale to the
class, with zero at half way; positive numbers indicated above and negative numbers below.
Higher and lower numbers are then more easily understood. For example, –3 is literally higher
than –7.
• Understanding of plasmolysis may be hindered by the failure to understand that the plant cell wall
is freely permeable, unlike the cell surface membrane, with the consequence that the protoplast is
always in contact with the external solution.
• The concept of the protoplast is extremely useful and important, but sometimes difficult for
students to grasp and use because the term is rarely used elsewhere.

Cambridge International AS and A Level Biology © Cambridge University Press 2014 3

• Students often wrongly use the term plasmolysis when describing the shrinkage of animal cells in
solutions of lower water potential.
• Students will not normally understand, unless it is explained, that entry of relatively small
quantities of water can result in a large increase in water potential inside plant cells, since pressure
builds up very rapidly inside plant cells once they are almost fully inflated (compare inflating a
tyre). Therefore, solute potential is little affected under normal conditions.
• Students may imagine that the water potential of a tissue (e.g. potato) is a fixed characteristic. It
may be worth pointing out that it varies with the environment. For example, a potato left in water
for some time come into equilibrium with the water. Since pure water has a water potential of zero,
the water potential of the potato will approach zero as equilibrium is approached. An old,
shrivelled potato left in air would have a low water potential. Therefore, students must not leave
tissues exposed in air for long periods of time during an experiment such as Practical 4.3.

Supporting struggling students

• Use the modelling clay membrane model from Topic 1 to model diffusion and inhibition/closing
of a gated protein. Small balls of clay can represent ions. Assemble ions either side of the
membrane and work out in which direction diffusion will occur. The sodium–potassium pump
could be modelled. The effect of closing the gate could be discussed.

Challenging high achievers

• EOCQ 11 is quite challenging and could be used at the end of the topic for testing application of
knowledge after the basic principles have been understood. The figure showing graphs could be
projected and the questions discussed.
Homework suggestions
• SAQs 4.2–4.8.
• EOCQs 5–7, 9–12
• Homework 4.1
Other recommended resources
Alberts, B. et al. (2013) Essential Cell Biology, 4th edn. Garland Science
Highly recommended. This classic book has a variety of resources for students that are freely available
at www.garlandscience.com/ECB4-students. There are over 130 video clips, animations, molecular
structures and micrographs. The following are useful animations with explanatory narration:
• ‘Membrane Structure’: Fluidity of the lipid bilayer, Lipids and lipid bilayer
• ‘Membrane Transport’: Na+/K+ pump, Membrane effects in a red blood cell (including
demonstration of osmosis), Transport by carrier proteins, Glucose uptake, Potassium channel
www.johnkyrk.com
John Kyrk’s website has an animation on cell membranes, including information about transport
across membranes.
 

Cambridge International AS and A Level Biology © Cambridge University Press 2014 4