Body Composition and Cell Membranes Flashcards
Vertebrate Body Composition
- ECF
- Specialized compartments of ECF
- Intracellular fluid
- ECF: body fluid that surrounds cells (the internal environment)
- protects most cells from external environment
- regulating ECF = regulation of internal enviro
- many specialized ECF compartments – lymph, cerebrospinal fluid, synovial fluid, serous fluid
- Intracellular fluid: separate from extracellular fluid by plasma membrane
Divisions of Total Body Water
Total body water= Intracellular fluid (66%) + Extracellular Fluid (33%)
Extracellular fluid = Plasma (20% ECF - has glucose, albuminum and electrolytes) + Interstitial fluid (80% ECF - surrounds cells & gets into tissue)
Body Composition
-Main components and other smaller constituents
- 66% water
- 16% fat
- 16%protein
- Glycogen, Phosphorus, Calcium, sodium, potassium, Mg, Fe, Cl, Zn, Cu
Definitions;
- Solutes
- types of solutes (2) and features/e.g.
- Solvents
- Solution
- Osmolarity
- Solutes: Substances dissolved in liquid
- Electrolytes; Dissociate into charged ions in H2O, Ionic bonds, can conduct electricity, Include inorganic salts, inorganic and organic acids and bases, some proteins.
- Non-electrolytes: Do not dissociate in water, covalent bonds (much stronger), not electrically charged, mostly organic molecules.
- Solvents: liquids in which solutes dissolve (water)
- Solution: Combination of solutes dissolved in solvents
- Osmolarity: Total number of particles/litre of solution
Solute Composition of ECF & ICF
(Na, Cl, HCO3, K, Protein)
-Plamsa composition
- Most electrolytes (Na, Cl, HCO3) higher concentration outside of cell (interstitial and plasma)
- Only K and proteins are at higher concentration inside cell
- ECF (plasma and Interstitial fluid) also has high concentrations of nutrients, fatty acids, glucose and wastes
-Plasma has similar composition to interstitial fluid, but more protein
ICF/ECF boundary
- Between Plasma and Interstitial fluid = Leaky epithelium
- Between Interstitial fluid and intracellular fluid = Cell membrane
Cell membrane vs plasma membrane
Cell membrane: may refer to many different membranes w/in cell
Plasma membrane: membrane encompassing the cell
4 Functions of Plasma membrane
- Physical isolation
- Regulation of exchange with environment (controls movement of ions, gases, wastes)
- Communication between cell and environment
- Structural support
Structure of Plasma Membrane
-why fluid mosaic model
- Fluid-mosaic model
- Thin phospholipid bilayer (7-8nm)
- w/ polar P heads facing outwards and nonpolar tails inwards
- Lipids and proteins inserted throughout - can move laterally
2 Major components of Plasma membrane
-and 2 subclasses of each
*lipid:protein ratio
- Protein
i. Integral (Embedded w/in)
ii. Peripheral (Sit on edge - don’t penetrate) - Lipids
i. Phopholipids (i.e. bilayer)
ii. Cholestrol (Aids in lipophilic/hydrophobic nature)
- Rations of lipid:protein in membrane depend on type of membrane
- more metabolically active = more protein
- more cholesterol = more control of water movement
Phospholipids vs cholesterols
-Polarity, Location in bilayer, Functional role
Phospholipids; -hydrophobic tail and hydrophilic head
- two layers, heads outwards - main structural component of lipid bilayer, polarity stops flipping but allows lateral fluidity, polarity promotes membrane repair
Cholestrols (~20% membrane lipid): Completely hydrophobic
- Found in the middle of bilayer - Increases membrane flexibility, decreases water permeability, restricts migration to lipid-soluble molecules
Integral Proteins vs Peripheral proteins
- where found in membrane
- e.g.
Integral: tightly bound in phospholipid layer, Extend into/through layers
-includes membrane channels and transporters
Peripheral: Attach loosely to integral proteins or phospholipid head, can be removed w/out disrupting flexibility
-Include enzymes and structural proteins
*many different types of proteins in a phospholipid bilayer
4 Functions of Membrane Proteins
- Structure: connect membrane and cytoskeleton to maintain shape of cell
- collagen in ECM
- Enzymes: catalyse reactions on internal or external surface of cell
- brush border peptidases in gut
- Receptors: activate biochem pathways in response to binding of ligands (transmitters, hormones)
- e.g. insulin binding to insulin receptor
- Transporters: Membrane proteins are responsible for regulating what gets in and out of cell
- allow molecules that could not diffuse across cell membrane to enter
Glycocalyx
- what it is
- where found
- why it’s important
- Carbohydrate-containing molecules, w/ branching sugar groups
- Found on extracellular membrane surface
- Carbohydrate chains bind to either membrane lipids or integral membrane proteins
*pattern of sugars is cell-type specific -> important for cell recognition
Membrane Heterogeneity
e.g. Lipid rafts and Homeoviscous adaptation
- Is significant structural variation between diff. regions of same membrane
e. g. Lipid rafts: thickened regions of membrane containing higher density of cholesterol, glycolipids and intergal proteins
- form spatially-segregated, functional micro-compartments w/in cell
e. g. Homeoviscous adaptation: Many factors change membrane fluidity - can change membrane fluidity by changing lipid composition
Structures made from Bilayer (2)
-Extra uses for one of extra structures
- Micelle: sphere: no internal fluid component
- Liposome: sphere with small cavity; can be filled with hydrophilic substance
Center of liposomes filled w/ drugs, antibodies or DNA fragments
- can reduce toxicity and improve efficacy of drug
- liposomes w/ multiple shells can release drugs in pulsatile manner
Diffusion
- defn
- driving force
- type of gradient
- what rate depends on
- Diffusion: movement of molecules from area of higher concentration to one of lower concentration of the molecule
- molecules above 0 K have constant state of motion
- driving force for diffusion is kinetic energy = electrochemical gradient
- rate depends on magnitude of concentration difference
7 properties of diffusion
- Move from area of higher concentration to lower concentration
- Is a passive process
- Net movement until concentration is equal everywhere
- Diffusion is rapid over short distances, but much slower over long distances
- Directly related to temperature (higher temp = faster diffusion)
- Inversely related to molecule size
- Can occur in an open system or across a partition