THE CELL MEMBRANE

BIOMEDICAL IMPORTANCE
Membranes are higly viscous yet plastic structures.
Permit cellular individuality,form close
compartments.
Plasma membrane has selective permeabilities
and act as a barrier,thereby maintainig differences
in the composition between the inside and outside
of the cell.Membranes establish and maintain the
concentration of electrolytes,nonelectrolytes and
water between the exterior and interior of the cell.
Exchange mateerials with the extracellular
environment,exocytosis and endocytosis
Signal transduction.
 Membranes form specialized
compartments(organelles) in the cell.
Membranes localize enzymes.
Membranes possess antigenic properties.
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF MEMBRANE
LIPIDS
Phospholipids
Glycolipids
Cholesterol
These lipids are amphipathic in nature,having polar
and non polar regions.
Lipid content and composition of various membranes
is different.
PROTEINS
Transmembrane/integeral/peripheral proteins
Glycoproteins
 Cytoskeletal filaments
Carbohydrate chains
Structure of the Plasma Membrane
Phospholipids
Majpr lipids in the
membrane(50-90%).
Mainly lecithin and
cephalin
Forms the lipid bilayer
structure
GLYCOLIPIDS
Least abundant(5%),Sphingophospholipids and
Glycosphingolipids
Cerebrosides,contain only one sugar residue(glucose
or galactose)
Gangliosides,contain a branch chain of as many seven
residues.
CHOLESTERL
2-25% of the membrane.more concentrated in the
outer leaflet of the plasma membrane.
It regulates the membrane fluidity.
PROTEINS
Proteins are globular in nature.Integral proteins are
themselves amphipathic in nature,and are bound
tightly to the membrane.They generally span the
entire lipid bilayer..
Peripheral proteins are weakly and reversibly bound to
the hydrophilic regions of the specific integral
proteins.e.g Ankyrin(peripheral protein) is bound to
band 3 protein(integral) in the RBCs membrane.
) Transport Proteins
2) Receptor Proteins
3) Enzymatic Proteins
4) Cell Recognition Proteins
5) Attachment Proteins
6) Intercellular Junction
Proteins
1) Transport Proteins
Channel Proteins –
channel for lipid
insoluble molecules and
ions to pass freely
through
Carrier Proteins – bind
to a substance and carry
it across membrane,
change shape in process
2) Receptor Proteins
– Bind to chemical
messengers (Ex.
hormones) which sends
a message into the cell
causing cellular reaction
3) Enzymatic Proteins
– Carry out enzymatic
reactions right at the
membrane when a
substrate binds to the
active site
4) Cell Recognition Proteins
– Glycoproteins (and
glycolipids) on
extracellular surface
serve as ID tags (which
species, type of cell,
individual).
Carbohydrates are short
branched chains of less
than 15 sugars
5) Attachment Proteins
 Attach to cytoskeleton (to
maintain cell shape and stabilize
proteins) and/or the extracellular
matrix (integrins connect to
both).
 Extracellular Matrix – protein
fibers and carbohydrates secreted
by cells and fills the spaces
between cells and supports cells
in a tissue.
 Extracellular matrix can influence
activity inside the cell and
coordinate the behavior of all the
cells in a tissue.
6) Intercellular Junction Proteins
– Bind cells together
Tight junctions
Gap junctions
 Different membranes have different protein/lipid ratio (3.6 for
mitochondria, 1.1 for erythrocytes plasma membrane, 0.25 for myelin)
 This property can be used to isolate various membrane fractions.
 The type of the membranes is identified by the presence of specific
protein markers. For example: Na,K-ATPase is a marker of plasma
membrane, while succinate dehydrogenase ,ATP synthetase is a
mitochondria marker,Glucose 6 phosphatase is a marker for ER.
 FLUID MOSAIC MODEL

FLUID- because individual phospholipids and proteins

can move side-to-side within the layer, like it’s a liquid.
MOSAIC- because of the pattern produced by the
scattered protein molecules when the membrane is
viewed from above.

copyright cmassengale 20
Membranes are fluid structures

http://www.biochem.arizona.edu/classes/bioc462/462a/NOTES/LI
PIDS/diff.html
Movement can be:
Lateral
Flip flop
Membrane fluidity is important for:

•fusion of membranes, i.e. fusion of

vesicles with organelles
•diffusion of new lipids and new proteins
laterally, so they are equally distributed
•diffusion of proteins and other molecules
laterally across the membrane in
signaling/reactions
•proper separation of membranes during
cell division
Factors that affect membrane fluidity:
Length of the fatty acyl chains
Degree of saturation of the fatty acyl chains
Presence of cholesterol
Cholesterol affects fluidity: at body temperature it
lessens fluidity by restraining the movement of
phospholipids, at colder temperatures it adds fluidity
by not allowing phospholipids to pack close together
ROLE OF MEMBRANES IN DISEASE.
Achondroplasia
Familial hypercholesterolemia
Cystic fibrosis
Wilson’s disease
Hereditary spherocytosis
Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria etc.