biological membranes, diffusion, active transport (plasma membranes) Flashcards
how wide is the phospholipid bilayer
7nm wide
how are substances able to pass directly through the phospholipid bilayer
the phospholipids are able to move within their layers, theyre constantly in motion/fluid as they move around one another.
what substances pass through the phospholipid bilayer
water (when water passes through the phospho bilayer osmosis is happening), small non polar molecules (o2 and co2), lipid soluble molecules (glycerol, fatty acids, monoglycerides, steroid based hormones)
many molecules are too big to directly move through the gaps in the phospho bilayer, so what carries larger molecules through the bilayer
intrinsic proteins; carrier protein + ungated channel protein + gated channel protein
what are intrinsic proteins
these pass through both layers of the bilayer. they allow larger/more polar molecules to pass through membrane.
what are extrinsic proteins
these do not span the bilayer but are found embedded in one of the layers.
what are the 3 intrinsic proteins
carrier protein + ungated channel protein + gated channel protein
what is the carrier protein
used to carry larger molecules such as glucose through the membrane. kit has a binding site which is specific for a particular type of molecule (complementary in shape). once the specific molecule has bound to the binding site the carrier protein changes shape in a way that the molecule is transported through the membrane.
what is the ungated channel protein
this is a permanently open pore in the membrane to allow polar molecules (ions) to pass through
what is the gated channel protein
?
what is the 1st function of extrinsic proteins
antigens for cell recognition - proteins or glycoproteins located on the outer surface of cell.
what is the 2nd function of extrinsic proteins
receptors for cell signaling.
what is the 3rd and 4th function of extrinsic proteins
enzymes + increasing the stability of temperature.
what is the fluid mosaic model
where proteins float within the membrane, the proteins can move within the membrane and are not in fixed position. the fluid refers to the phospholipids constantly moving w the proteins embedded in it.
what role does cholesterol have in the membrane
it adds stability and regulates fluidity. wo it the membrane would be unstable.
what is a glycoprotein
a branching carbohydrate portion of protein which acts as an antigen
there are also glycolipids + glycoproteins present in the membrane.
.
what is cell signaling
where signals arrive at the plasma membrane from outside the cell as particular substances (hormones, neurotransmitters). a receptor in the cells plasma membrane picks up these signals and brings about actions within the cell.
what are hormones
(hormones are chemical messengers produced in specific tissues, travel in the blood and bind at the receptor of the target cell, due to the complementary shape to the hormone. this brings about some sort of response.)
a hormone molecule binds to receptor on a target cells plasma membrane cos the 2 have complimentary shapes. binding of the hormone and receptor causes the target cell to respond in a certain way
what are the receptors
extrinsic proteins or glycoproteins
what are hormone receptors
a hormone molecule binds to receptor on a target cells plasma membrane cos the 2 have complimentary shapes. binding of the hormone and receptor causes the target cell to respond in a certain way
what is insulin
(where insulin is released from the beta cells in the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas, in response to increased blood glucose concentration. the insulin travels in the blood and then attaches to the insulin receptors on the outer plasma membranes of many cells.)
whatresponsedoes the insulin receptorgive
when insulin attaches to its receptor, it triggers internal responses in the cell that lead to more glucose carrier proteins being present in the plasma membrane. this allows the cell to take up more glucose from the blood so the blood glucose concentration is reduced
what are beta blockers specifically used for
they are used to prevent heart muscle from increasing the heart rate in ppl for whom such an increase could be dangerous.
how do beta blockers work
a medicinal drug would have been developed that is complementary to to the shape of the receptor molecule, such drugs are intended to block receptors.
what makes nicotine addictive
nicotine is able to act at the synapses of another neurotransmitter - dopamine - in the brain and give rise to a sensation of pleasure. same shape as dopamine
what permeability does the plasma membrane have
selectively permeable (what u find in living cells)
what does the plasma membrane being selectively permeable mean
some molecules can pass directly through it while other molecules have an intrinsic protein which allows their passage through it.
what is bulk transport for
its to allow endocytosis and exocytosis of of some selected large molecules.
how does temperature affect the permeability of cell membranes
if temp increases, the phospholipids gain KE and so move quicker, as their fluidity increases larger gaps appear between the heads at greater frequency so molecules which were too large to pass through can now fit through, and those that could already pass through now move through at a greater rate.
if temp is increased more then the proteins within the cell membrane gain too much KE that the molecules within the protein vibrate to the point that the bonds maintaining the tertiary structure are broken. when these bonds break the 3D structure is lots and the protein denatures. The denatured shape may allow substances to which the membrane was impermeable to pass through in large quantities.
what happens when cell membranes are exposed to ethanol
as ethanol is a solvent for lipids, fats including phospholipids will dissolve within it. this leaves holes in the membrane, allowing molecules which were previously unable to pass through the cell membrane now pass through in large quantities
what happens when beetroot cells are exposed to varying temperatures or varying concentrations of ethanol
the permeability of the tonoplast and the plasma membrane are disrupted
after exposing the beetroot cells to diff temperatures and concentrations of ethanol, how can you measure the degree of permeability change
we can measure the leakage of the beetroot pigment into the incubation water/solution by diffusion
how to measure the quantity of beetroot pigment in the incubation water
use a colorimeter - where relative light absorbance is measured.
or compare to known standards by eye, then compare to a colour chart on scale
how to improve the accuracy of the colorimeter
use a green light source rather than white. wiping fingerprints off the cuvette before taking a reading.