Biochemical composition and functions of cell

membrane

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Originally prep by Mr.Noorullah
Modified by Shehryar Ahmad
Lecturer : CMT (MTI BKMC Mardan)

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After this lecture you will able to describe :
• Structure and function of cell membranes
• Historical Experiments
• Fluid Mosaic Model
• Concept of Membrane Fluidity
• Traffic across the Membrane
• Membrane function and & Importance
• Disorders related to Membrane Abnormalities
Historical experiment On plasma
membrane structure :

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 Membrane Structure and Function
• Cells must contain a cell membrane, cytoplasm and genetic material.

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• The cell membrane is the EDGE, “boundary of life”, while the cytoplasm is the site of
all the reactions of life and the genetic material is the information required for life.
• SELECTIVELY PERMEABLE means that the CM allows some substances across more
easily than others… some it helps and some it inhibits or rejects all together.

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Plasma Membrane

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 Membrane structure
• Development of models as a scientific process

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• Models include
• Overton – proposed lipid base

• Langmuir (phospholipids) – made membrane

• Gorter and Grendel (two layers)

• Davson and Danielli (sandwich image, protein outside)

• Singer and Nicolson = Fluid Mosaic Model
• Required electron microscopy
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• 1972
 Membrane structure
• Phospholipids – phosphate and fatty acid tails
• Hydrophilic phosphates

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• Hydrophobic fatty acid tails
• Two layers
• With tails together
• Protein
• Embedded throughout - integral
• Some just surface – peripheral

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Membrane Components

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Phospholipid bilayer

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 Phospholipid bilayer
Contains 2 fatty acid
Make up the cell membrane
chains that are

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nonpolar

Head is polar &

contains a
Phosphate group
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Chemical Composition of cell Membrane
• The lipid bilayer of membrane primarily act as structural backbone of the membrane
that provides a barrier which inhibit the free movement of water soluble material to

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enter and out of the cell. The ratio of protein to lipid is vary depending upon the type
of cell membrane such as (endoplasmic reticulum vs golgi apparatus) ,the type the
type of organism (bacteria vs human) and type of cell (cartilage vs muscle ) . For
example the the inner mitochondril membrane has a high content of protein /lipid
ratio in comparison to the red myelin sheath of nerve fiber .this difference can be
correlated with the basic function of these membranes. The inner mitochondrial
membrane contains the protein carrier of the eletron transport chain so less lipid is
there and in contrast the myelin sheath acts primarily as electrical insulation for neve
cell that is best carried out by high lipid content .

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 Concept of membrane fluidity

FLUID- Cholesterol molecules prevent membrane from becoming ‘crispy’. Because

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individual phospholipids and proteins can move around freely 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.

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Concept of membrane fluidity

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 Membrane proteins
• Transport – substance across membrane, specificity to substance, active pumps
• Enzymatic activity – sequence reactions

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• Transmit signals – conformational change when combine with substrate = message.
• Junctions – glue cells into tissues
• Recognition – glycoproteins act as targets or ID
• Attach to cytoskeleton – change shape of cell

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Membrane gap Junction

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Membrane proteins

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 Traffic across the Membrane
• The cell membrane is made of 2 layers of phospholipids called the lipid bilayer

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• Hydrophobic molecules pass easily; hydrophilic DO NOT.

• Small non-charged molecules move through easily. Examples: O2, and CO2 .
• Ions, and large molecules such as glucose and amino acids do not move through the
membrane on their own. They must use transport proteins

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 Transport Proteins
• Span the cell membrane

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• Function as a channel
• Some also physically move passengers

• Specificity of fit ( form and function ) allows for membrane selectivity.

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 Passive Transport
• Molecules have intrinsic kinetic energy
• They are in constant motion

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• Cytoplasm, extracellular fluid and CM vary in concentrations and pressure gradients.
• Concentration refers to the overall POPULATION of molecules as well as the RATIO in
that location compared to another.
• Net Movement
• DYNAMIC EQUILIBRIUM

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 Passive transport includes
• Diffusion
• Tendency of molecules of any substance to spread out into the available space.

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Substances will diffuse DOWN their concentration gradient.
• Osmosis
• The diffusion of water molecules across a selectively permeable membrane.
• Hypertonic = solution with higher [conc.] of solutes
• Hypotonic = solution with lower [conc.] of solutes
• Isotonic = solutions are equal in solute concentration
• Facilitative Diffusion
• Transport proteins are helping molecules to cross membrane, but still diffusion
(lowering overall free energy) thus doesn’t require energy from cell. 25
Cells in Solutions

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Diffusion of Liquids

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Diffusion of Liquids

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 Active Transport
• Movement of solutes, UP their concentration gradient, with the help of transport

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proteins in a CM.
• Requires cell to expend energy / do work.
• Solute becomes more concentrated or “stock- piled” in a particular area.
• Example is Sodium-Potassium Pump.

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Na-K Pump

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 Bulk transport of material
• Many molecules are just too big to get into a cell by passive or active transport.

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• Endocytosis and exocytosis are used for bulk transport of particles.
• Three types of endocytosis: Phagocytosis, Pinocytosis and receptor mediated
endocytosis.

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 Exocytosis
• Exocytosis- moving things out.
• Molecules are moved out of the cell by vesicles that fuse with the plasma

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membrane.
• This is how many hormones are secreted and how nerve cells communicate with one
another.

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 Pinocytosis
• Most common form of endocytosis.
• Takes in dissolved molecules as a vesicle.

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 Phagocytosis
• Used to engulf large particles such as food, bacteria, etc. into vesicles- Called cell
eating.

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 Receptor Mediated endocytosis
• Some integral proteins have receptors on their surface to recognize & take in hormones,
cholesterol, etc.

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 Membranes functions and importance
1. Plasma membranes form closed compartments around cellular protoplasm to define cell
boundaries.

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2. It shows selective permeability
• acts as a barrier, maintaining differences in composition between the inside and outside of the cell.
• Done by specific proteins named transporters and ion channels.
3. The plasma membrane exchanges material with the extracellular environment by
• Exocytosis
• endocytosis, and
• gap junctions

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Membranes functions and importance
4. plays key roles in cell–cell interactions and in transmembrane signaling.

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5. Membranes also form specialized compartments within the cell (organelles), eg,
• mitochondria,
• ER,
• sarcoplasmic reticulum,
• Golgi complexes,
• secretory granules,
• lysosomes, and
• nuclear membrane.

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 Membranes functions and importance
6. Membranes localize enzymes, function as integral elements
7. Changes in membrane structure affect water balance and ion flux and therefore every
process within the cell.

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• Specific deficiencies or alterations of certain membrane
• Familial Hypercholesterolemia
• Cystic Fibrosis
• Wilson’s disease
• Hereditary Spheriocytosis
• Metastasis of Cancer cells

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Membrane lipids
• Membrane contain a diverse group of lipid content all of which are amphipathic.
( that is they contain both hydrophilic and hydrophobic parts .)

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•Phosphoglyceride :
• Many membrane lipids contain a phosphate group , which makes them
phospholipid , because ost membrane phospholipid are build on back bone of
glycerol they are called phosphoglyceride.

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• Instead membrane phosphoglyceride have an additional group linked to a phosphate
, most commonly either choline forming PC (phosphatidylcholine ), PE (phosphatidyl

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ethanolamine) ,serine (phosphatidyl serine ), inositol (phosphatidylinositol) .
• Each of these group is small and hydrophilic end, together with negatively charged
phosphate to which it is attached , forming a highly water soluble domain at one end
of molecule the head group .
• IN contrast the fatty acyl chain are hrdrophobic ,the unbranched hydrocarbon
approximately 16 to 22 corbon in length

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•Sphnolipids :

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• A less abundant class of membrane lipids, called
sphingolipids , derivated of amino alchohal that
contain a ong hrdrocorbon chain.

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