ADD Introduction to cell membranes (2)

Question 1

What do optical tweezers show?

Answer 1

-tensile strength of red blood cell membranes

Question 2

What are red blood cell ghosts?

Answer 2

Predominantly plasma membrane

Question 3

What do mutations in spectrin cause?

Answer 3

Certain types of haemolytic anaemia

Question 4

What do integral membrane proteins do?

Answer 4

-anchor cytoskeleton to plasma membrane
-provide structure to the cell
-allow it to change shape

Question 5

What are key features of biological membranes?

Answer 5

-membranes are asymmetric
-proteins always have the same orientation in the membrane
-lipid composition of each of the 2 halves of the bilayer is different

Question 6

What is the asymmetry of membranes important for?

Answer 6

-blood groups
-coagulation (clot formation)
-cell recognition + clearance

Question 7

What blood groups can individuals have?

Answer 7

-O
-A
-B
-AB

Question 8

What is blood group determined by?

Answer 8

Structure of oligosaccharides attached to sphingomyelin in the red blood cell membrane + to proteins in plasma + other body fluids

Question 9

Which blood group is the universal donor and which is the universal acceptor?

Answer 9

-O = universal donor
-AB = universal acceptor