Chapter 2.

Cell physiology (I): Cell

membrane properties.
p p

1
• Introduction
• T
Transportt accross plasma
l membrane
b
• Properties of the resting membrane

2
 Plasma membrane
• It is a flexible barrier that surrounds and contains the
cytoplasm
y p of the cell
• It separates the ICF from the ECF

• Membrane structure:
• Lipids
p
• Phospholípidos 75%
• Cholesterol 20%
• Glycolipids 5%
• Proteins
• Other

• The basic structural framework is the lipid

p bilayer
y 3

• Fluid mosaic model

Functions of the plasma membrane

• Diffusion barrier: regulates
g entryy and exit of 
substances
• Vesicle transport (glandular secretions)
(glandular secretions)
• Cell identification: surface proteins allow
identifying a cell
a cell
• Communication: proteins act as receptors for
hormones
• Intercellular connections: cells can be in contact
or linked by special complexes

4
 Membrane permeability

Thanks to membrane permeability and

t
transport
t mechanisms,
h i exchange
h off
substances
substa ces bet
between
ee ECF C aandd ICF
C is
s
possible

5
 Properties of lipid bilayer
• Lipid bilayer is nonpermeable to hydrophilic substances
• Hydrophilic substances cross the membrane thanks to proteins

6
ECF ICF

Proteins < Proteins

Na+ > Na+
K+ < K+
Ca2+ > Ca2+
H+ > H+
Cl- > Cl-

7
 Gradients across the membrane
Concentration Gradient: Difference in the concentration
of a chemical from one place to the other,
other such as from the
inside to the outside of the plasma membrane
Molecules travel from the more
concentrated area to the less
concentrated area down its
concentration gradient (downhill)

Electrical Gradient: differences in electrical charges

between two regions. This charged difference is termed the
membrane p potential 8
• Introduction
• T
Transportt accross plasma
l membrane
b
• Properties of the resting membrane

9
 Types of transport
Down the concentration gradient
• Diffusion or pasive transport No energy required
• Simple Specific and non-specific
• Facilitated
• Osmosis

Against the gradient

• Active Energy is required
Specific

• Primary and Secondary

• Transport in vesicles
• Endocytosis
• Receptor-mediated
• Phagocytosis
• Pinociyosis
• Exocytosis 10
Diffusion

11
 Simple diffusion
• The diffusion rate depends on the steepness of the
gradient, temperature, mass, surface…
• Through the lipid bilayer
• Hydrophobic molecules diffuse freely through the bilayer
• example: O2, CO2, N2, fatty
f acids

• Ch
Channel-mediated
l di t d diffusion
diff i
• Specific(ex: Na+, K+).
• Some alternate between open
and closed positions

12
 Facilitated diffusion
• There is a carrier that suffers conformational
changes
• The process exhibits saturation. Maximum rate
depends on the number of carriers available
• Ex: glucose, amino acids

13
 Osmosis
Osmosis
O i is
i a type
t off diffusion
diff i i which
in hi h there
th i a nett
is
movement of a solvent throuh a semi-permeable membrane

14
• Osmotic pressure: minimum pressure to stop the flow of water
•Tonicity: Osmolarity of the solution compared to the
plasma osmolarity
• Effects of tonicity in red blood cells:

15
HEMOLYSIS CRENATION
 Active transport

• Against concentration gradient

• Energy requirement
• C i suffers
Carrier ff conformational
f ti l changes
h
• Especificity
p y and saturation is p
possible
• The same molecule can cross the membrane by
diff i or by
diffusion b active
ti transport
t t
• Types:
yp
• Primary active transport
• Secondary active transport 16
 Primary active transport
• Energy obtaines from hydrolysis of adenosine
triphosphate
p p ((ATP))
• ATP changes the shape of a carrier protein, which pumps
a substance against its concentration gradient
• Ex: sodium-potasium pump (Na+-K+ ATPase)

17
• [K+] intracellular > [K+] extracellular
• [Na+] intracellular < [Na+] extracellular
• The pump introduces 2 K+ and releases 3 Na+.
• That produces a negativity inside the cell

18
 Secondary active transport
• Energy stored in the electrochemical gradient of an ion is used
to drive the transport of another solute against a concentration
or electrochemical
l t h i l gradient di t
• Driving ion: the ion travelling downhill
• S di
Sodium serves as the
h ddriving
i i iion iin many (b
(but not all)
ll)
secondary active transporters located in the plasma membrane
of various cells
cells.

19
Symporters or antiporters
• Ex: Na+/Ca2+ antiporters,
antiporters Na+/H+ antiporters,
antiporters Na+-glucose
symporter

A ti
Antiporters
t S
Symporters
t

20
 Transport in vesicles
• Vesicle: small, spherical sac which forms a compartment
separated by the cytosol by a lipid bilayer
• Formed from the cell membrane
• Energy required (ATP)
• Carry substances from the ECF to the cytosol and the other
way around
• Endocytosis
• Receptor
Receptor-mediated
mediated endocytosis
• Phagocytosis

• Pinocytosis

• Exocytosis
21
 Receptor-mediated
endocytosis
d t i

•Carry molecules

•Higlyselective
•Ex: LDL-cholesterol,
transferrin, vitamins,
hormones

22
 Phagocytosis

•Carrybacteria, viruses,
antigens

•Defense mechanism

•Selective.

•Only phagocytes are able to

carry on phagocytosis (eg:
macrophages)

23
 Pinocytosis

•Fluid transport

•Non selective (no receptors

involved)

•Ex: amino acids, fatty acids

•Absortive cells

24
 Exocytosis
• Releases material from the cell to the ECF
• Especially important in two types of cells:
• Secretory cells: liberate enzymes, hormones, mucus

• Nerve cells: release neurotransmitters

• Waste material also released by exocyitosis

• Segments of plasma membrane are recovered
reco ered by
b
exocytosis

25
• Introduction
• T
Transportt accross plasma
l membrane
b
• Properties of the resting membrane

26
 Membrane as an electrical bipole
• In every cell there
is a different in
electrical potential
among the inside
and the outside
surfaces of the
membrane
b
• Membrane
potential:
t ti l
difference of
electrical charge
between the
negative inside and 27

the positive outside

 Membrane potential
The membrane
Th b potential
t ti l is
i due
d to:t
-Selective permeability of the membrane

-The electrogenic nature of the sodium-potasium pump

-Trapped anions: Presence of non-diffusible negative

molecules inside the cell

28
 Ion movement

• Depends on:
• Concentration
C t ti gradient
di t
• Electrical gradient

• Electrochemical gradient: conc. grad + elect. grad

29
• Na+, K+ and Cl- are the most important ions in the generation
of the membrane potentials in nerve and muscle cell
• Importance of each ion depends on the membrane
permeability for that particular ion
• Membrane permeabiliy is K > Cl > Na

• Therefore,, ppotasium diffusion p

potential is the most important
p
factor for the membrane potential

30
 Resting membrane potential
• That electrical potential when cell is not excited
• Resting membrane potential is established by:
• Ion diffusion potential

• Membrane permeability

• Na+/K+ pump

• Resting membran potential is always negative:

• -25
25 mv in red blood cells
• -70 mv in nerve cells

• -100
100 mv in muscle fibers

31
• Ion diffusion is performed
p
through ion channels

• Ion channels are selective

and most of them can be
activated

• There are also channels

which are always
y open,
p
responsible of the resting
ion permeability in most 32

cells
• In many cells,
cells resting membrane potential suffers
temporary due to ion flow (graded potentials)
• Decrease of membrane potential (less negative inside) is
called depolarization
• Increase of membrane potential (more negative inside) is
known as hyperpolarization

33
 Excitable cell

• Cell capable of modifying its membrane potential

• Every cell has a resting membrane potential, but few

are excitable

• N
Nerve and
d muscle
l cellll

Able of g
generating
g an ACTION POTENTIAL 34