The Cell Membrane

Cell Physiology
drsherwanshal@gmail.com
AP Biology
 Overview
§ Cell membrane separates living cell from
nonliving surroundings
u thin barrier = 8nm thick
§ Controls traffic in & out of the cell
u selectively permeable
u allows some substances to cross more
easily than others
§ hydrophobic vs hydrophilic
§ Made of phospholipids, proteins & other
macromolecules
§

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 Phosphate

Phospholipids
§ Fatty acid tails
u hydrophobic
§ Phosphate group head
u hydrophilic Fatty acid
§ Arranged as a bilayer

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 Phospholipid bilayer

polar
hydrophilic
heads

nonpolar
hydrophobic
tails

polar
hydrophilic
heads

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 More than lipids…
§ In 1972, S.J. Singer & G. Nicolson
proposed that membrane proteins are
inserted into the phospholipid bilayer

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Membrane is a collage of proteins & other molecules
embedded in the fluid matrix of the lipid bilayer

Glycoprotein Extracellular fluid

Glycolipid

Phospholipids
Cholesterol
Transmembrane
proteins
Peripheral
protein
Cytoplasm Filaments of
cytoskeleton
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 Membrane fat composition varies
§ Fat composition affects flexibility
u membrane must be fluid & flexible
§ about as fluid as thick salad oil
u % unsaturated fatty acids in
phospholipids
§ keep membrane less viscous
u cholesterol in membrane

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 Membrane Proteins
§ Proteins determine membrane’s specific functions
u cell membrane & organelle membranes each
have unique collections of proteins
§ Membrane proteins:
u peripheral proteins
§ loosely bound to surface of membrane
§ cell surface identity marker (antigens)
u integral proteins
§ penetrate lipid bilayer, usually across whole
membrane
§ transmembrane protein
§ transport proteins
w channels, permeases (pumps)
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AP Biology
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 Proteins domains anchor molecule
Polar areas
§ Within membrane of protein
u nonpolar amino
acids
§ hydrophobic
§ anchors protein
into
membrane
§ On outer surfaces of
membrane
u polar amino acids
§ hydrophilic
§ extend into
Nonpolar areas of protein
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 Many Functions of Membrane Proteins

Outside

Plasma
membrane

Inside
Transporter Enzyme Cell surface
activity receptor

Cell surface Cell adhesion Attachment to the

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 Membrane carbohydrates
§ Play a key role in cell-cell recognition
u ability of a cell to distinguish one cell
from another
§ antigens
u important in organ &
tissue development
u basis for rejection of

foreign cells by
immune system

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 Movement across the
Cell Membrane

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 Diffusion
§ 2nd Law of Thermodynamics
governs biological systems
u universe tends towards disorder
(entropy)

§Diffusion
movement from high 
u
u  low concentration
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 Diffusion
§ Move from HIGH to LOW concentration
u “passive transport”
u no energy needed

movement of water

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 Diffusion across cell membrane
§ Cell membrane is the boundary between
inside & outside…
u separates cell from its environment

Can it be an impenetrable boundary? NO!

IN OUT
food waste
carbohydrates OUT ammonia
sugars, proteins salts
amino acids CO2
IN H2O
lipids
salts, O2, H2O products
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cell needs materials in & products or waste out
 Diffusion through phospholipid bilayer
§ What molecules can get through directly?
u fats & other lipids
li
p §What molecules can
i s NOT get through
inside cell
a
d directly?
l
t u polar molecules
§H 2 O
s u ions
u H §salts, ammonia
a
g 2 u large molecules
outside cell a
a O §starches,
r proteins
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 Channels through cell membrane
§ Membrane becomes semi-permeable
with protein channels
u specific channels allow specific
material across cell membrane
s
H u
inside cell a
2 g
a
O a
r

s
a
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 Facilitated Diffusion
§ Diffusion through protein channels
u channels move specific molecules across
cell membrane
facilitated = with help
u no energy needed
open channel = fast transport
high

low
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 Active Transport
§ Cells may need to move molecules against
concentration gradient
u shape change transports solute from
one side of membrane to other
u protein “pump”
u “costs” energy = ATP low conformational change

AT
P

high
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 Active transport
§ Many models & mechanisms
AT AT
P P

antiport symport
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 Getting through cell membrane
§ Passive Transport
u Simple diffusion
§ diffusion of nonpolar, hydrophobic molecules
w lipids
w high  low concentration gradient
u Facilitated transport
§ diffusion of polar, hydrophilic molecules
§ through a protein channel
w high  low concentration gradient
§ Active transport
u diffusion against concentration gradient
§ low  high
u uses a protein pump AT
u requires ATP P
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 Transport summary
simple
diffusion

facilitated
diffusion

AT
active P
transport
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 How about large molecules?
§ Moving large molecules into & out of cell
u through vesicles & vacuoles
u endocytosis

§ phagocytosis = “cellular eating”

§ pinocytosis = “cellular drinking”
u exocytosis

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 Endocytosis
fuse with
phagocytosis lysosome for
digestion

pinocytosis non-specific
process

triggered by
receptor-mediated molecular
endocytosis signal
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 The Special Case of Water

Movement of water across

the cell membrane

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 Osmosis is diffusion of water
§ Water is very important to life,
so we talk about water separately
§ Diffusion of water from
high concentration of water to
low concentration of water
u across a
semi-permeable
membrane

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 Concentration of water
§ Direction of osmosis is determined by
comparing total solute concentrations
u Hypertonic - more solute, less water
u Hypotonic - less solute, more water
u Isotonic - equal solute, equal water

water

hypotonic hypertonic
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net movement of water
 Managing water balance
§ Isotonic
u animal cell immersed in
mild salt solution
§ example:
blood cells in blood
plasma
§ problem: none
w no net movement
of water
n flows across
membrane
equally, in
both
directions
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w volume of cell is
 Managing water balance
§ Hypotonic
u a cell in fresh water
§ example: Paramecium
§ problem: gains water,
swells & can burst
w water continually enters
Paramecium cell
§ solution: contractile vacuole
w pumps water out of cell
w ATP

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 Managing water balance
§ Hypertonic
u a cell in salt water

§ example: shellfish
§ problem: lose water & die
§ solution: take up water or
pump out salt

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 1991 | 2003
Aquaporins
§ Water moves rapidly into & out of cells
u evidence that there were water
channels

Peter Agre Roderick MacKinnon

John Hopkins Rockefeller
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 Osmosis…

.05 M .03 M

Cell (compared to beaker)  hypertonic or hypotonic

Beaker (compared to cell)  hypertonic or hypotonic
Which way does the water flow?  in or out of cell
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