MEMBRANE

STRUCTURE

Rut Klinger MIS IB DP

 Key concepts

PHOSPHOLIPID FLUID MOSAIC MEMBRANE CHOLESTEROL’S ROLE MEMBRANE MODELS

BILAYER 🡪 MODEL PROTEINS AND THEIR IN THE STRUCTURE AND THEIR
HYDROPHYLIC VS ROLES DEVELOPMENT
HYDROPHOBIC
 Phospholipids
in water Molecules of
◦ Plasma membranę is phospholipids in
built from water create
PHOSPHOLIPIDS structures which let
◦ They form a bilayer, them keep their
whih is amphipatic hydrophobic parts
far from water
◦ Phospholipids in water
behave according to These structures
those properties: are formed
spontaneously

http://commons.wikimedia.org
 Phospholipd
bilayer

◦ Hydrophilic heads –
attracetd to water
◦ may face
aqueous solutions
– cytoplasmatic
and extracellular
fluids
◦ Hydrophobic tails –
repelled by water
◦ tend to avoid
water
◦ group together

www.ck12.org
 Fluid mosaic
structure
◦ The bilayer is held together
by weak hydrophobic
interactions between the
tails
◦ Hydrophilic / hydrophobic
layers control the passage of
substances
www.schoolbag.info
◦ Individual phospholipids can
move within the bilayer,
allowing for membrane
fluidity and flexibility
PM is represented according to a fluid-mosaic model, as it is:
◦ This fluidity allows for the
spontaneous breaking and
reforming of membranes Fluid – the phospholipid bilayer is viscous and individual
phospholipids can move position
Mosaic – the phospholipid bilayer is embedded with proteins,
resulting in a mosaic of components
Phospholipids Proteins Cholesterol

PM components
 glycoproteins

• signaling molecules, antigens etc.

peripheral proteins

Proteins in • receptors
• immobilized enzymes
PM • adhesive proteins

integral proteins

• protein channels
• protein pumps
• receptors
 ◦ Jet Rat
◦ Junctions – Serve to connect and join two cells together 
◦ Enzymes – Fixing to membranes localises metabolic
pathways 
◦ Transport – Responsible for facilitated diffusion and active
transport 
Membrane ◦ Recognition – May function as markers for cellular
identification 
proteins’ ◦ Anchorage – Attachment points for cytoskeleton and
extracellular matrix 
functions ◦ Transduction – Function as receptors for peptide hormone

www.bioninja.com.au
 cholesterol

◦ Important component of animal

cell membranes
◦ Absent in plant cells (due to cel
wall performing stabilizing
functions)
◦ Also an amphiphatic molecule
and interacts with phospholipids
of the PM:
◦ Reduces fluidity
◦ The more cholesterol, the
more rigid is the membrane
◦ Affects permeability
◦ Helps to secure peripheral
proteins by forming high density
lipid rafts capable of anchoring
the protein
WHY DO WE GIVE ASPIRIN TO PREVENT HEART ATTACKS?

www.sciencedirect.com
Drawing the PM fluid mosaic model
◦ phospholipids
◦ double layer
◦ with heads and tails
◦ cholesterol
◦ small elements
between
phospholipids
◦ glycoproteins
◦ shown with sugar
chain on the external
end
◦ Transmembranous
◦ peripheral proteins
◦ at the surface
◦ integral proteins
◦ going through both
phospholipid layers

www.khanacademy.org
 In 1920s it was first proposed by Gortel and
Grendel that membrane contained a bilayer
of phospholipids

In 1930s Hugh Davson and James Danielli

proposed a „sandwich model” in which the

PM models phospholipid bilayer was sandwiched between

two protein layers, as the dark segments seen
under electron microscope were identified
(wrongly) as representing protein layers

In 1960s Davson and Danielli’s model

was overthrown by Singer-Nicolson
model of fluid mosaic, which with some
refinements is accepted until today
 Davson-Da
nielli -
model
◦ Lipid-protein sandwich
◦ Proteins don’t go
through lipid layers

◦ It explains
impermeability of
membranes for many
substances
 ◦ Membrane visible as two dark lines with lighter band
Electron between them – proteins appear darker TEM mcrograms
microscopy than lipids, which seemed to fit Davson-Danielli’s theory at
the time
evidence
◦ However today we know, that on the photo there are two
bilayer membranes of two adjacent cells

www.bioninja.com.au
◦ Biochemical:
◦ Membrane proteins were discovered
to be insoluble in water (indicating Evidence
hydrophobic surfaces) and varied in against
size
◦ Such proteins would not be able to
Davson-Daniel
form a uniform and continuous layer li’s model
around the outer surface of a
membrane
Evidence against
Davson-Danielli’s model
◦ Electron microscopy:
◦ Freeze-fracture technique:
- Cells are rapidly frozen
- Then they are fractured
- Fractures occur along the weak lines within the cel
- It showed fractures between two lipid layers and
visualized globular protein structures localizing
them both around and across the membranes
The outline of the method. After ‘quick-freezing’ of cells, the cytoplasm is exposed by
‘fracturing’ of frozen cells with cooled knife. The ‘etching’ procedure induces
sublimation of water in the cytosol and the organelle lumen. This makes lipid droplets
stand out because lipid esters in the lipid droplet core do not sublimate. Vacuum
evaporation of platinum and carbon onto the surface makes a ‘replica’ of the cellular
ultrastructure.
https://bio-protocol.org/e2556
 Evidence
against
Davson-Danielli’
s model
◦ Fluorescent antibody tagging
of membrane proteins
◦ Antibodies with fluorescent
labels were used to stain
membrane proteins
◦ Proteins of some cells were
tagged red, of other – green
◦ Cells were fused
◦ After some time it was visible
that red and green tags
became mixed

www.uaz.edu.mx
◦ It shows that position of
membrane proteins is not
fixed and form a static layer
Singer-Nichol
son – model

◦ Proteins do not only

cover the surface of
the membrane
◦ Some proteins go
through it -
embedded within
the lipid bilayer and
not existing as
separate layers
• Peripheral proteins bound to one of the surfaces
• Integral proteins go through the membrane
 Resources

HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=JEY9BIE92AM
HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=QBCVVSZQQNS
HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=QQSF_UJCFBC
HTTPS://IB.BIONINJA.COM.AU/
HTTPS://WWW.SCIENCEDIRECT.COM/SCIENCE/ARTICLE/PII/S0005273614004222
TEXTBOOK CHAPTER 1.3 PAGES 25-33