Cell Membrane Flashcards
What molecule has a polar glycerol head and a non polar fatty acid tail?
Phospholipid
What is the combination of a carboxyl carbon and its hydrocarbon tails In a lipid called
fatty acyl group
What is the difference between a saturated and unsaturdated fat
unsaturated fats contain carbon-carbon double bonds whilst saturated fats only contain single bonds
What does an increase of saturated fats do to the cell membrane?
increases membrane fluidity
Fatty acyl groups of glycerophospholipids bind to which functional groups of glycerol-3-phosphate at C1 and C2?
OH groups
what is a sphingolipid?
complex phospholipids with a core hydrophobic structure of ceremide, which is composed of a sphingosine head and a long-chain fatty acid chain
What molecule contains a hydrophobic tail, an amine group and a C-1 Hydroxyl group?
a Sphingolipid
What are the 3 types of sphingolipid?
sphingomyelins,
cerebrosides and gangliosides
which disease involves an absence of hexoaminidase causing ganglioside accumulation in the brain, destroying nerve cells?
Tay-Sachs disease
Which micellar like complex consists of water soluble cavity with a hydrophobic shell?
liposomes
What are the two main functions of membrane proteins?
- Transport Of Molecules Across Membranes
2. Transduction Of Signals Across Membranes
How can electrostatic and hydrogen bound peripheral/extrinsic proteins be disrupted from their polar interactions?
adding salts or changing pH
Which type of protein interacts extensively with hydrocarbon chains of membrane lipids?
integral/intrinsic proteins
Which type of protein span the lipid bilayer?
integral/intrinsic proteins
what are proteins with attached carbohydrate groups that play an important role in cellular recognition and the immune response called? ( they act as receptors for hormones and neurotransmitters)
glycoproteins
what is the term for the carbohydrate and glycolipid coating on the outer surface of the plasma membrane?
glycocalyx
what are the three functions of glycoproteins?
- cell to cell recognition
- cell adhesion
- binding specific substances
what is membrane fluidity controlled by
fatty acid composition (unsaturated fats increase membrane fluidity) and cholesterol content
what does the unsaturation of fatty acyl chains result in, in terms of membrane fluidity?
greater membrane fluidity (due to the ‘kinks’ pushing the adjacent molecules away, which helps fluidity)
what does increasing the amount of cholesterol in the membrane do ?
decreases membrane fluidity
what are the 6 functions of membrane proteins?
- transport proteins
- intercellular junctions
- enzyme docking sites
- protein receptor sites
- cell to cell recognition
- cytoskeleton anchoring points to ECM
What are the anchoring junctions that allow cell to cell adhesion called?
desmosomes
what behave like glycoproteins and act as surface receptors and stabilise the membrane ?
glycolipids
what molecule disturbs the close packing of phospholipids and helps regulate the membranes fluidity?
cholesterol
what are the names of the special protein channels that allow water in and out of a cell
aquaporins
