Chapter 4

CELL MEMBRANE

AND TRANSPORT
 Cell membrane structure

▪ All the membranes of a cell have similar basic structure:

proteins suspended in a double layers of phospholipids
 Cell membrane functions

▪ Cell membrane separates the interior of the cell from the

outside environment.
▪ They regulate the exchange of substances between the
cell and the interstitial fluid or between membrane-
enclosed organelles and the surrounding cytosol.
▪ They allow communication among the cells of multicellular
organisms.
▪ They regulate many biochemical reactions.
Membrane Proteins and Their Functions

▪ Different proteins embedded in the fluid matrix of

the lipid bilayer
▪ Proteins ➔ membrane’s specific functions
▪ Peripheral proteins: bound to the surface of the
membrane
▪ Integral proteins: penetrate hydrophobic core
– Transmembrane proteins:
Integral proteins that span the membrane
Fig. 7-7

Fibers of
extracellular
matrix (ECM)

Glyco- Carbohydrate
protein
Glycolipid
EXTRACELLULAR
SIDE OF
MEMBRANE

Cholesterol

Microfilaments Peripheral
of cytoskeleton proteins
Integral
protein
CYTOPLASMIC SIDE
OF MEMBRANE
 Membrane Functions
▪ Five major
functions
of membrane
proteins:
– Transport
proteins
– Enzymes
– Receptor protein
– Recognition
protein
– Connection
proteins
Membrane structure results in selective
permeability

▪ Cell must
exchange
materials with its
surroundings →
controlled by the
plasma
membrane
▪ Plasma
membranes =
selectively
permeable
 Molecule Movement & Cells

▪ Passive Transport

▪ Active Transport

▪ Endocytosis (phagocytosis & pinocytosis)

▪ Exocytosis
Passive Transport

▪ No energy required

▪ Move due to gradient

– differences in concentration, pressure, charge

▪ Move to equalize gradient

– High moves toward low
Types of Passive Transport

1. Diffusion

2. Facilitated diffusion

3. Osmosis
Diffusion

▪ Molecules move down a gradient from high to

low concentration, to equalize concentration
Diffusion
Facilitated Diffusion
Osmosis

▪ Osmosis: diffusion of water across a

selectively permeable membrane
▪ Water diffuses across membrane from lower
[solute] → higher [solute]
 Hypotonic solution Isotonic solution Hypertonic solution

H2O H2O H2O H2O

(a) Animal
cell

Lysed Normal Shriveled

H2O H2O H2O H2O

(b) Plant
cell

Turgid (normal) Flaccid Plasmolyzed

▪ solvent + solute = solution

▪ Hypotonic ▪ Isotonic ▪ Hypertonic
– Solutes in cell more than – Solutes equal – Solutes greater
outside inside & out of outside cell
– Outside solvent will flow cell – Fluid will flow
into cell out of cell
Effects
of
Osmosis
on
Living
Cells
Active Transport
▪ Active transport: moves substances against their
concentration gradient
– requires energy, usually in the form of ATP
– performed by specific proteins embedded in the
membranes
– allows cells to maintain concentration gradients that
differ from their surroundings
Ex: sodium-potassium pump

Copyright © 2008 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Pearson Benjamin

Cummings
Fig. 7-16-7

EXTRACELLULAR
[Na+] high Na+
FLUID [K+] low Na+

Na+ Na+ Na+

Na+ Na+

Na+

[Na+] low ATP

Na+ P
[K+] high P
CYTOPLASM ADP
1 2 3

P
P
6 5 4
Fig. 7-17
Passive transport Active transport

ATP
Diffusion Facilitated diffusion
Endocytosis
▪ Endocytosis: cell takes in
macromolecules by forming vesicles
from plasma membrane

▪ Three types of endocytosis:

– Phagocytosis: cell engulfs a particle
in a vacuole then fuses with a
lysosome to digest the particle
(“cellular eating”)
– Pinocytosis: molecules are taken up
when extracellular fluid is “gulped”
into tiny vesicles (“cellular drinking”)
– Receptor-mediated endocytosis:
binding of ligands to receptors
triggers vesicle formation
Fig. 7-20a

PHAGOCYTOSIS
EXTRACELLULAR CYTOPLASM 1 µm
FLUID
Pseudopodium
Pseudopodium
of amoeba

“Food” or
other particle Bacterium
Food
vacuole Food vacuole
An amoeba engulfing a bacterium
via phagocytosis (TEM)
Fig. 7-20b

PINOCYTOSIS

0.5 µm
Plasma
membrane Pinocytosis vesicles
forming (arrows) in
a cell lining a small
blood vessel (TEM)

Vesicle
Exocytosis

▪ Reverse of endocytosis
▪ Cell discharges material
Exocytosis

▪ Vesicle moves to cell surface

▪ Membrane of vesicle fuses
▪ Materials expelled