MEMBRANE STRUCTURE

Membrane lipids are amphipathic molecules most of which

spontaneously form bilayers
HOW HYDROPHILIC AND HYDROPHOBIC MOLECULES INTERACT
DIFFERENTLY WITH WATER?
PACKING ARRANGEMENTS OF LIPID MOLECULES IN
AN AQUEOUS ENVIRONMENT
THE MOST ABUNDANT MEMBRANE LIPIDS ARE THE PHOSPHOLIPIDS
PHOSPHOLIPID MOBILITY
 THE FLUIDITY OF A LIPID BILAYER DEPENDS ON
ITS COMPOSITION

Bacteria, yeast, and other organisms whose

temperature fluctuates with that of their
environment adjust the fatty acid composition
to maintain a relatively constant fluidity!
THE PLASMA MEMBRANE CONTAINS LIPID RAFTS THAT ARE ENRICHED
IN SPHINGOLIPIDS, CHOLESTEROL AND SOME MEMBRANE PROTEINS

Thought to help organize related proteins in a given signaling pathway

THE ASYMMETRY OF THE LIPID BILAYER IS FUNCTIONALLY IMPORTANT

Lipid asymmetry is functionally important!

 GLYCOLIPIDS ARE FOUND ON THE SURFACE OF ALL PLASMA MEMBRANES

The lipid molecules that display the most extreme asymmetry in their membrane
distribution glycolipids!
 MEMBRANE PROTEINS

In most transmembrane proteins the polypeptide chain crosses the lipid bilayer in an
a-helical conformation.
 Multi-pass
transmembrane
protein

b-barrel

Single-pass
transmembrane
protein
HYDROPATHY PLOTS CAN BE USED TO LOCALIZE POTENTIAL a-HELICAL
MEMBRANE-SPANNING SEGMENTS IN A POLYPEPTIDE CHAIN
MEMBRANE PROTEINS ARE GLYCOSYLATED

Responsible for cell-cell recognition, communication, and intercellular adhesion

MEMBRANE PROTEINS CAN BE SOLUBILIZED AND PURIFIED IN DETERGENTS

SDS or Triton-X-100
 THE CYTOSOLIC SIDE OF PLASMA MEMBRANE PROTEINS CAN
BE STUDIED IN RED BLOOD CELL GHOSTS

It is easy to prepare empty red blood cell membranes (ghosts)

More is known about the plasma membrane of the

human red blood cell!
• Available in large numbers
• No nucleus or internal organelles the plasma
membrane is their only membrane, and so can be
isolated w/out contamination by internal
membranes
MANY MEMBRANE PROTEINS DIFFUSE IN THE PLANE OF THE MEMBRANE
CELLS CAN CONFINE PROTEINS AND LIPIDS TO SPECIFIC DOMAINS WITHIN A MEMBRANE

Four ways of restricting the lateral mobility of

specific plasma membrane proteins
MEMBRANE TRANSPORT OF SMALL MOLECULES
THERE ARE TWO MAIN CLASSES OF MEMBRANE TRANSPORT PROTEINS:
CARRIERS & CHANNELS

FASTER
PASSIVE AND ACTIVE TRANSPORT

Chemical Potential:

The change in the energy of a system

upon addition/removal of system
constituents!
IONOPHORES CAN BE USED AS TOOLS TO INCREASE THE PERMEABILITY
OF MEMBRANES TO SPECIFIC IONS

Valinomycin : mobile ion carrier, K+

A23187: Ca+2 and Mg+2
Gramicidin A: Channel forming ionophore, Na+
CARRIER PROTEINS AND ACTIVE MEMBRANE TRANSPORT

Passive Transport

Active Transport
THREE TYPES OF CARRIER-MEDIATED TRANSPORT
 The Na+ – K+ Pump is Required to Maintain Osmotic Balance and Stabilize Cell Volume

The Problem

The Solution
 The Na+ - K+ Pump

It is an ATPase
ION CHANNELS AND THE ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES OF MEMBRANES

Always down-hill
–passive
transport
THE FUNCTION OF A NERVE CELL DEPENDS ON ITS ELONGATED STRUCTURE
3D STRUCTURE OF A BACTERIAL K+ CHANNEL SHOWS HOW AN ION CHANNEL CAN WORK
INTRACELLULAR COMPARTMENTS AND
PROTEIN SORTING
THE MAJOR INTRACELLULAR COMPARTMENTS OF AN ANIMAL CELL
 ROADMAP OF PROTEIN TRAFFIC

1. Gated transport: B/w topologically equivalent spaces : cytosol and

nucleus. The nuclear pore complexes function as selective gates
that actively transport specific macromolecules and assemblies and
also passive diffusion of smaller molecules.
2. Transmembrane transport: Transport between topologically
different compartments. Occur via membrane-bound protein
translocators that directly transport specific proteins across a
membrane. Transported molecule must unfold to snake through the
translocator. For instance: from cytosol to mitochondria.
3. Vesicular transport: Transport vesicles become loaded with a
cargo of molecules derived from the lumen of one compartment as
they pinch off from its membrane- and they discharge their cargo
into a second compartment by fusing with that compartment. For
instance: from ER to Golgi
SIGNAL SEQUENCES AND SIGNAL PATCHES DIRECT PROTEINS TO THE CORRECT
CELLULAR ADDRESS
BIOCHEMICAL APPROACH FOR STUDYING THE MECHANISM OF PROTEIN
TRANSLOCATION