Cell Physiology

Jessa Marie M. Caparas, PTRP

 Cell Structure and Function
 Overview of Organelles and Function
 Movement of substances in the Cell Membrane
Cell
 basic living, structural and
functional unit of the body
 Functions:
 Cell metabolism and
energy use
 Synthesis of molecules
 Communication
 Reproduction and
inheritance
 2 Types of cell:
 Eukaryotic Cell -larger and complicated; contains nucleus and
organelles (e.g., animal cells, plant cells)
 Prokaryotic Cell - smaller and simpler; lacks nucleus and
organelles (e.g., bacteria)
 3 Main parts:
 Plasma Membrane/Cell Membrane – outermost component of
cell
 Cytoplasm – fluid portion “cytosol”; organelles “little organs”
 Nucleus – houses the genetic material of the cell (DNA,RNA)
Organelles and their Function
Plasma Membrane (Cell Membrane)
 forms the cell’s flexible outer surface
 Functions:
 Acts as a barrier separating inside and outside of the cell
 Controls the flow of substances into and out of the cell
 Helps identify the cell to other cells (e.g., immune cells)
 Participates in intercellular signaling
 “semi-permeable/selectively permeable”
 Phospholipid bilayer – basic stuctural framework; “amphipathic”
o Hydrophilic head (water loving) - polar
o Hydrophobic tail (water fearing)- non polar
Fluid Mosaic Model
Membrane Proteins
 Classified as:
 Integral Proteins - extend into or through the lipid bilayer and are
firmly embedded in it
 Different functions of Integral Proteins:
 Ion Channels – pores/holes that specific ions can flow through
 Carriers/Transporters – selectively moving a polar substance from
one side to another
 Receptors – serves as cellular recognition sites (“ligand”- molecules that
bind to a receptor)
 Enzymes – catalyze specific reactions
 Linkers – anchors protein in the plasma membrane of neighboring cells
 Cell identity markers - may enable a cell to (1) recognize other cells
of the same kind during tissue formation or (2) recognize and respond to
potentially dangerous foreign cells
 Peripheral Proteins -
attached to the polar heads of
membrane lipids or to
integral proteins at the inner
or outer surface of the
membrane
 help support the plasma
membrane
 anchor integral proteins
 participate in mechanical
activities such as moving
materials and organelles within
cells, changing cell shape in
dividing and muscle cells, and
attaching cells to one another
Transport across the Plasma
Membrane
 Passive Transport
 a substance moves down its concentration or electrical gradient
to cross the membrane using only its own kinetic energy
 there is no input of energy from the cell
 Types:
 Diffusion
 Simple Diffusion
 Facilitated Diffusion
Channel-mediated
 Carrier-mediated
 Osmosis
Diffusion
 solutes, such as molecules or ions, tend to move from an
area of higher concentration to lower concentration
 Concentration gradient - a difference in the concentration of
a chemical from one place to another, such as from the inside
to the outside of the plasma membrane.
 Several factors that influence the diffusion rate of substances
across plasma membrane:
 Steepness of the concentration gradient
 Temperature
 Mass of the diffusing substance
 Surface area
 Diffusion distance
Simple Diffusion
 a passive process in which
substances move freely through the
lipid bilayer of the plasma
membranes of cells without the
help of membrane transport
proteins
 e.g., nonpolar, hydrophobic
molecules move across the lipid
bilayer through the process of
simple diffusion
 oxygen, carbon dioxide, and
nitrogen gases; fatty acids;
steroids; and fat-soluble vitamins
(A, D, E, and K)
 Small, uncharged polar molecules
such as water, urea, and small
alcohols
Facilitated Diffusion
 process of movement of solutes that are too polar or highly
charged to move through the lipid bilayer of the plasma
membrane by simple diffusion
 an integral membrane protein assists a specific substance
across the membrane
 Channel-mediated Facilitated Diffusion
 a solute moves down its concentration gradient across the lipid bilayer
through a membrane channel (mostly ion channels)
 Carrier-mediated Facilitated Diffusion
 a carrier (also called a transporter) moves a solute down its
concentration gradient across the plasma membrane
Osmosis
 type of diffusion in which there is net movement of a solvent
through a selectively permeable membrane
 water moves through a selectively permeable membrane from an
area of lower solute concentration to an area of higher solute
concentration
 water molecules pass through a plasma membrane in two ways:
 by moving between neighboring phospholipid molecules in the lipid
bilayer via simple diffusion
 by moving through aquaporins, an integral membrane proteins that
function as water channels.
 occurs only when a membrane is permeable to water but is not
permeable to certain solutes
 As water moves by osmosis into or out of the cells, their
volume increases or decreases
 A solution’s tonicity is a measure of the solution’s ability to
change the volume of cells by altering their water content
 Isotonic solution - any solution in which a cell maintains its
normal shape and volume
 Hypotonic solution - a solution that has a lower concentration
of solutes than the cytosol inside a cell
 Hypertonic solution – a solution that has a higher concentration
of solutes than does the cytosol inside a cell
 Active Transport
 considered an active process because energy is required for
carrier proteins to move solutes across the membrane against a
concentration gradient
 Some polar or charged solutes that must enter or leave body
cells cannot cross the plasma membrane through any form of
passive transport because they would need to move “uphill,”
against their concentration gradients
 Two sources of cellular energy can be used:
 Energy obtained from hydrolysis of adenosine triphosphate (ATP)
(primary active transport)
 Energy stored in an ionic concentration gradient (secondary active
transport)
Primary Active Transport
 energy derived from hydrolysis of ATP changes the shape of a
carrier protein, which “pumps” a substance across a plasma
membrane against its concentration gradient.
Secondary Active Transport
 the energy stored in a Na+ or H+ concentration gradient is
used to drive other substances across the membrane against
their own concentration gradients
 a carrier protein simultaneously binds to Na+ and another
substance and then changes its shape so that both substances
cross the membrane at the same time
 If these transporters move two substances in the same
direction they are called symporters; antiporters , in contrast,
move two substances in opposite directions across the
membrane.
Transport in Vesicles
 Vesicles are small, spherical sacs, that transport a variety of
substance from one structure to another within cells; also
import materials from and release materials into
extracellular fluid
 Endocytosis
 Exocytosis
Endocytosis
 materials move into a cell in a vesicle formed from the
plasma membrane
 3 types:
 Receptor-mediated endocytosis - a highly selective type of
endocytosis by which cells take up specific ligands
 Phagocytosis - is a form of endocytosis in which the cell engulfs
large solid particles, such as worn-out cells, whole bacteria, or
viruses
 Pinocytosis - a form of endocytosis in which tiny droplets of
extracellular fluid are taken up
Exocytosis
 materials move out of a cell by the fusion with the plasma
membrane of vesicles formed inside the cell
 During exocytosis, membrane-enclosed vesicles called
secretory vesicles form inside the cell, fuse with the plasma
membrane, and release their contents into the extracellular
fluid.
 e.g., neurotransmitters, hormones, digestive enzymes
Transcytosis
 movement of a substance through a cell as a result of
substances, such as antibodies, across endocytosis on one side
and exocytosis on the opposite side.
Cell Division
 the process by which cells reproduce themselves
 2 types of cell division:
 Somatic cell division (Mitosis & Cytokinesis)
 Reproductive cell division (Meiosis)
Interphase
Interphase

G1 phase is the During G2, cell

During the S phase,
interval between the growth continues,
DNA replication
mitotic phase and the enzymes and other
occurs. As a result of
S phase. During G1, proteins are
DNA replication, the
the cell is synthesized in
two identical cells
metabolically active; it preparation for cell
formed during cell
replicates most of its division, and
division later in the
organelles and replication of
cell cycle will have the
cytosolic components centrosomes is
same genetic material.
but not its DNA. completed.
(lasts about 8 hours)
(lasts 8-10 hours) (lasts 4-6 hours)
Mitosis
Meiosis
END