EXERCISE PHYSIOLOGY

The Cell
Membrane:
Gateway to the
Cell

DR. NURSYUHADA MOHD SUKRI

B.SC. (HONS), M.SC., PHD.
AKADEMI KECERGASAN PERTAHANAN
UNIVERSITI PERTAHANAN NASIONAL MALAYSIA
The Cell 2
Functions of Cell Membrane
 Protective barrier
Boundary that separates the living cell from
it’s non-living surroundings.
 Regulate transport in & out of cell
(selectively permeable)
 Allow cell recognition
 Provide anchoring sites for filaments of
cytoskeleton
Structure of the Cell Membrane :
Fluid-Mosaic Model

FLUID- because 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.
Phospholipids Phosphate

Make up the cell membrane “attracted to water”

 Phosphate head
 hydrophilic

 Fatty acid tails Fatty acid

 hydrophobic

 Arranged as a bilayer “repelled by water”

Cell Membrane
6

Polar heads are hydrophilic “water loving”

Nonpolar tails are hydrophobic “water fearing”
Makes membrane “selective” in what crosses.
Cell Membrane
7

The cell membrane is made of 2 layers of phospholipids

called the lipid bilayer
Hydrophobic molecules pass easily; hydrophillic DO NOT,
therefore materials that are soluble in lipids can pass through
the cell membrane easily
 Permeability to polar
molecules?
 Membrane becomes semi-permeable via protein channels
 specific
channels allow specific material across cell
membrane

inside cell H2 O AA Sugar

NH3 Salt outside cell

 Transmembrane proteins embedded in phospholipid
bilayer
 create semi-permeable channels

lipid bilayer protein channels

membrane in lipid bilayer membrane
Semipermeable Membrane
10

Small non-charged molecules move through

easily.
Examples: O2, and CO2
Semipermeable Membrane

Ions, and large molecules such as glucose and amino

acids do not move through the membrane on their own.
They must use transport proteins
 Many Functions of Membrane Proteins

“Channel”
Outside

Plasma
membrane

Inside
Transporter Enzyme Cell surface
activity receptor

“Antigen”

Cell surface Cell adhesion Attachment to the

identity marker cytoskeleton
Diffusion through phospholipid bilayer

 What molecules can get through directly?

 fats & other lipids

 What molecules can

inside cell lipid NOT get through
NH3 salt directly?
 polar molecules
 H2O
 ions (charged)
 salts, ammonia
sugar aa H2O
outside cell  large molecules
 starches, proteins
Types of Transport Across
Cell Membranes
Simple Diffusion
 Move from HIGH to LOW concentration
 “passive transport”
 no energy needed
 Osmosis is a diffusion of water across a membrane

movement of water

diffusion osmosis
Osmosis is just 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 across a semi-permeable membrane
Concentration of water
 Direction of osmosis is determined by comparing
total solute concentrations
 Hypertonic - more solute, less water
 Hypotonic - less solute, more water
 Isotonic - equal solute, equal water

water

hypotonic hypertonic
Diffusion of Liquids
Example: Osmosis in Red
Blood Cells

Isotonic Hypotonic Hypertonic

Example: Gas exchange in lungs by
diffusion
Facilitated Diffusion
 Diffusion through protein channels
 channelsmove specific molecules across
cell membrane
 no energy needed facilitated = with help
open channel = fast transport
HIGH

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

ATP

HIGH
“The Doorman”
Active transport
 Many models & mechanisms

ATP ATP

antiport symport
Active transport
 Examples: Pumping Na+
(sodium ions) out and K+
(potassium ions) in against
strong concentration gradients.
 Called Sodium-Potassium
Pump
 3 Na+ pumped out for every 2
K+ pumped in; creates a
membrane potential
Getting through cell membrane
 Passive Transport
 Simple diffusion
 diffusion of nonpolar, hydrophobic molecules
 lipids
 HIGH  LOW concentration gradient
 Facilitated transport
 diffusion of polar, hydrophilic molecules
 through a protein channel
 HIGH  LOW concentration gradient
 Active transport
 diffusion against concentration gradient
 LOW  HIGH
 uses a protein pump
ATP
 requires ATP
Transport summary
simple
diffusion

facilitated
diffusion

active ATP
transport
 Cell in Hypotonic Solution
 Hypotonic
a cell in fresh water
 high concentration of water around cell
problem: KABOOM!
cell gains water,
swells & can burst
example: Paramecium
ex: water continually enters
Paramecium cell
Cell in Hypertonic Solution
 Hypertonic
I’m shrinking,
a cell in salt water I’m shrinking!

low concentration of water

around cell
problem: cell loses water
& can die
 Cell in Isotonic Solution
 Isotonic
That’s
 animal cell immersed in perfect!
mild salt solution
 no difference in concentration of water between
cell & environment
 problem: none
 no net movement of water
 Water flows across membrane equally, in
both directions
 cell in equilibrium
 volume of cell is stable
 example:
blood cells in blood plasma
 slightly salty IV solution in hospital
Cells in Solutions
Cell in Hypotonic Solution

10% NaCL ENVIRONMENT

90% H2O

CELL

20% NaCL
80% H2O

What is the direction of water movement?

Cell in Hypertonic Solution

15% NaCL ENVIRONMENT

85% H2O

CELL

5% NaCL
95% H2O

What is the direction of water movement?

Cell in Isotonic Solution

10% NaCL
ENVIRONMENT
90% H2O

CELL

10% NaCL
90% H2O

What is the direction of water movement?

The cell is at _______________.
How about large molecules?
 Moving large molecules into & out of cell
 through vesicles & vacuoles
 endocytosis
phagocytosis = “cellular eating”
pinocytosis = “cellular drinking”
receptor mediated = involved specific receptor protein
 exocytosis

exocytosis
Endocytosis
Receptor Mediated Endocytosis
Cholesterol
Exocytosis in the Pancreas