Biological Membranes Flashcards
describe a method using a colorimeter to investigate effect of ethanol conc on permeability of cell membrane
-cut 5 small equal beetroot pieces
-prepare 5 solutions of ethanol with conc of 0%, 0.13%, 0.25%, 0.5%, 1%
-place 1 piece of beetroot in each test tube at the same time, start timer
-once timer done, remove beetroot, shake each TT 3 times and take sample from each
-measure absorbance with colorimeter and blue filter
-repeat experiment each time with fresh beetroot pieces and calculate mean absorbance for each conc
describe a method using a colorimeter to investigate effect of temperature on permeability of cell membrane
-cut 5 equal beetroot samples
-wash with 100ml DW in WB
-increase T of WB by 10 degrees
-take samples of water 5 mins after reached T
-measure absorbance on colorimeter using blue filter
-repeat experiment 3 times, each with fresh beetroot and calc mean
explain effect of changing solvent conc on permeability of cell membranes
effect of water
-water required for bilayer to be maintained
-non polar tails of PL are orientated away from water, forming bilayer with hydrophobic core
-charged phosphate heads interact with water keeping bilayer intact
-when PL can’t interact with water the bilayer can no longer exist (polar heads aren’t attracted to NP)
Effect of organic solvent
-as conc increases around bilayer, its ability to interact with water decreases and bilayer starts to disperse
describe effect of solvent conc on membrane permeability
water= polar solvent required to maintain PLB
organic solvents= increase permeability as you increase conc
explain effect of increase T on permeability of cell membranes
-Ke increases
-PL vibrate more
-increases average PL separation
-increased permeability as more gaps
-PLB may melt completely
-proteins may denature, leaving gaps in membrane
-therefore permeability will increase
describe effect of increasing T on mebrane permeability
increasing T increases membrane permeability
explain how binding of a molecule to a glycoprotein can cause effects within a cell
cell signalling
-chemical messenger molecule moves around body, if able to fit the protein receptor binding site, it will bind
-chem reaction is caused- signal transduction which causes a chem reaction within a cell, altering activity
explain importance of membrane bound proteins in chem reactions
-enzymes can be held in correct location by attachment to membrane
-kept in place where optimum conditions are
-positioned so they can access substrates
explain effect of cholesterol on fluidity and stability of membranes
-chol positioned between PL in bilayer, preventing aligning too closely & solidifying
-hydrophillic end interacts with heads and hydrophobic end interacts with tails, pulling them together & stabilising bilayer
cell adhesion definition
cells join together to form tight junctions in certain tissues
state roles of different proteins in membrane
-receptors in cell signalling (glycoproteins)
-cell adhesion (glycoproteins)
-enzymes being kept in place attached to membrane
-transport proteins (carrier/channel)
state role of glycolipids in membrane
cell recognition- act as antigens, often related to immune system
state role of glycoproteins in membrane
cell adhesion
cell signalling (receptors)
state role of cholesterol in membrane
maintain membrane fluidity
stabilising bilayer
role of phospholipids in membrane
-main component of cell surface membranes (membrane formation)
-act as a barrier between contents of cell and exterior (hydrophobic barrier)
receptor protein/glycoprotein definition
proteins that bind to a specific molecule, triggering a chemical reaction
extrinsic protein definition
peripheral proteins that are present in one side of the bilayer
-amino acids with hydrophilic R groups on outer surfaces and interact with polar heads of the membrane or with intrinsic proteins
intrinsic protein definition
transmembrane proteins that are embedded through both layers of a membrane
-amino acids with hydrophobic R groups on external surfaces which interact with hydrophobic core of membrane
carrier protein definition
specific and reversible protein that acts as an enzyme with a region that binds to a molecule to aid transport by facilitated diffusion
channel protein definition
hydrophilic channel that allows passive movement of polar molecules and ions down a conc gradient through membranes
glycolipid definition
cell surface membrane lipids with attached carb molecules of varying lengths and shapes
cholesterol definition
lipid consisting of 4 carbon rings (hydrophobic) with a hydroxyl group (hydrophilic end)
phospholipid definition
lipids consisting of 2 fatty acids, a glycerol unit, and phosphate group
glycoprotein definition
membrane proteins with attached carbohydrate molecules of varying lengths and shapes
fluid meaning in FMM
membranes aren’t solid (molecules=weakly held in place)
-because PL are weakly attracted and can change places
mosaic meaning in FMM
phosphates and embedded proteins form a tile pattern when viewed from above
phospholipid bilayer definition
arrangement of PL found in cell membranes
-hydrophilic phosphate heads from both inner & outer surface of a membrane sandwich the fatty acid tails to form a hydrophobic core