Cell membranes Flashcards
cell membrane disorder
Familial hypercholesterolemia
Hereditary Spherocytosis
Acute Pancreatitis
Cancer metastasis
Cystic Fibrosis
characteristics of cell membrane
- asymmetric
- viscous and plastic
- dynamic
- thermodynamically stable and metabolically active
- noncovalent assemblies
Irregular distribution of proteins
External location of carbohydrates
Specific enzymes exhibit specificity of location
Phospholipids (choline containing are external while amino acid containing are in the inner leaflet)*
inside-out asymmetry
Presence of villi, gap junctions, tight junction
- properties that have proteins and do not have proteins
regional asymmetry
- marker to recognize
- outer part of cell membrane
oligosaccharide
highly concentrated location where proteins are located
lipid rafts
functions of cell membranes
Permits cell individuality
Has selective permeability
Important for cell to cell interaction and
adhesion
Important in transmembrane signaling
Form specialized compartments ie., for
organelles
Localize enzymes
Integral elements in excitation-response
coupling
the two major body compartments
intracellular and extracellular fluid compartments
Contains 2/3 of body water
Provides environment for the cell to :
Synthesize, store and utilize
energy
Repair itself
Replicate
Perform special functions
Intracellular fluid compartments
Contains 1/3 of total body water
distributed between PLASMA and
INTERSTITIAL FLUID compartments
Is a delivery system of nutrients, ions,
oxygen and hormones to cells
Removes waste products from the cells
extracellular fluid compartments
what are the composition of cell membrane?
lipids, proteins, carbohydrates
provides the basic structures of
biological membranes
lipids
perform most of the membrane’s
specific tasks
proteins
major membrane lipids
phospholipids, glycosphingolipids, sterols
glycerol backbone, 2 fatty acids in ester and phosphorylated alcohol (ethanolamine, choline, serine, glycerol or inositol)
phosphoglycerides
fatty acid attached by an amide link to amino acid of sphingosine
ceramide
it has sphingosine backbone
- Hydroxyl group of sphingosine is esterified
to phosphorylcholine
- it is prominent in myelin sheath
sphingomyelin
what are the two parts of glycosphingolipids?
cerebrosides and gangliosides
- most common sterol in membranes
- intercalates among phospholipids in the cell
membrane
Is also amphipathic with its hydroxyl group lying at the aqueous surface
“moderator molecule”
cholesterol
Simplest phosphoglyceride is ____________
phosphatidic acid
- Sugar-containing lipids built on a backbone of ceramide
Include the cerebrosides (galactosyl- and
glucosylceramide) and the gangliosides
glycosphingolipids
functions of membrane proteins
Enzymes
Pumps, channels, carriers
Antigens
Receptors
structural proteins
2 types of membrane proteins
Integral and peripheral proteins
Interact extensively with
phospholipids
Require detergents for solubilization
Are amphipathic, globular and spans
the bilayer
integral proteins
Do not interact directly with
phospholipids
Weakly bound to hydrophilic
regions of integral proteins on one
side of the membrane
Ex : RBC cystoskeletal proteins
Ankyrin is bound to integral protein
Band 3 Spectrin is in turn bound to
Ankyrin
Peripheral proteins
occur in association with lipids or proteins :
glycolipids or glycoproteins
mostly found on the external membrane surface
carbohydrates
universally accepted description of membrane structure
“icebergs” (proteins) floating in a “sea” of
phospholipids
membranes undergo phasic changes from stiff (gel or crystalline) to fluid state
both lipids and proteins undergo “rapid
redistribution” in the plane of the membrane
“lateral diffusion”
Fluid mosaic model
who invented the fluid mosaic model?
Singer and Nicolson (1972)
factors affecting membrane fluidity
Lipid composition, temperature
- longer and more saturated fatty acid chains
exhibit higher transition temperature - unsaturated cis bonds tend to increase
membrane fluidity - presence of cholesterol the moderator molecule
lipid composition
temperature at which structure undergoes transition from ordered to disordered state
transition temperature (Tm)
high temperatures = membrane fluidity
_______________
low temperatures = hydrophobic side
chains become aligned = stiff structure
increases
small aggregates of amphipathic
molecules forming a monolayer with :
hydrophobic regions
hydrophilic regions
arrangement of different regions depends
on the chemical environment where the
micelle is situated
micelles
formed micelles assist in the
digestion and absorption of fat
bile acids