7 intracellular transport Flashcards
plasma membrane
fatty film studded with protein
main functions of plasma membrane (7)
- separate and protect chemical components of a cell from outside environment
- selective permeable barrier
- transport solutes across membrane
- respond to external signals, signal transduction
- energy transduction conversion from one form to another
- compartmentalization for different activities
- scaffold (structural support) for biochem activities
what environment is cell membrane observed in
aqueous environment
lipid bilayer
two layers of phospholipids that face tail to tail that have amphipathic properties
amphipathic
when a molecule has both hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties
hydrophobic effect
all hydrophobic molecules cluster with hydrophilic molecules surrounding
liposomes
spherical vesicles formed by pure phospholipids when added to aqueous environment
energetically favourable vs unfavourable
phospholipids spontaneously enclose into a sphere with out edges to avoid exposure of hydrocarbon tails to water, which is energetically unfavourable
movement of phospholipids
lateral diffusion, exchanging spots, flexing tails, rotation, and flip flop is opposite phospholipid flipping but rare
what is fluidity of a membrane?
ease with which lipid molecules move within a plane
what is fluidity dependent on?
composition and nature of hydrocarbons in phospholipid, and temperature
what defines nature of hydrocarbons in phospholipid
the length and number of double bonds in the hydrocarbon
what makes membrane less fluid?
the closer, and regular the packing of tails the less fluid
- the lower the temperature
How does length of hydrocarbon impact fluidity?
shorter chains means less interaction and packing, which increases fluidity
saturated hydrocarbon
means having maximum number of hydrogens in hydrocarbon chain, so no double bonds
unsaturated hydrocarbon
means not having maximum number of hydrogens in hydrocarbon chain, so double bonds
how does double bonds impact fluidity?
double bonds form kinks which makes it difficult for hydrocarbons to pack increasing fluidity
what is margarine
hydrogenated vegetable oil. The double bonds are removed with the addition of hydrogen to make the liquid oil into solid butter form.
what impact does cholesterol have on membrane?
controls fluidity in animal cells. Increase in concentration, decreases fluidity
how does cholesterol impact membrane?
cholesterol is short and rigid, and fill the spaces between molecules left by kinks in hydrocarbon tails, stiffening the bilayer
why is membrane fluidity important?
- enables membrane proteins diffuse rapidly
- cell signalling between proteins
- ensures membrane molecules distribute evenly when daughter cells divide
how are phospholipids made
on cytosolic surface of ER using fatty acids that bind to enzymes
how is the lipid bilayer formed?
since flip flopping isnt energetically favourable, enzyme scramblases removes randomly selected phospholipids from one layer and insert them into the other allowing even distribution of new phospholipids
lumen
interior space of an organelle
how is asymmetry achieved?
enzyme flippases in the golgi apparatus