Chapter II Flashcards
What allows the lipid bilayer to be stable in water?
Hydrophobic interactions
hydrophobic molecules stack together (aggregate) in order to have the least amount of surface area exposed to water
What are the three major structures of lipid aggregates?
micelles
bilayers
liposomes (spherical bilayer)
what forms depends on the type of lipid and concentration of lipid
Micelles
wedge shaped individual units, the polar head group is larger than the tail
no water inside the center
*monolayers
Lipid Bilayer
composed mainly of phospholipids and sphingolipids
smaller bilayers are unstable
Vesicles (liposomes)
-small bilayers sealed into spherical vesicles
-central aqueous cavity
- responsible for relaying signals
- vesicles have the ability to fuse with cell membranes or another vesicles
Functions of the cellular membrane?
- Define boundaries of the cell
- allow for import and export
- retain metabolites and ions
- sense external signals and transmit info into the cell
- provide compartmentalization within the cell
- produces nad transmits nerve signals
- stores energy as a proton gradient
- supports synthesis of ATP
Characteristics of the Membrane
- flexible
- composed of two leaflets
- forms spontaneously
- stabilized by noncovalent forces (hydrophobic effect)
- asymmetric
What does it mean to say the bilayer has asymmetry?
The two leaflets have different compositions
outer leaflet is more positively charged
What do LTPs (lipid transfer proteins) do?
soluble proteins that have a hydrophobic lipid-binding pocket that carries lipids fro one membrane to another
*can be bispecific - can carry two different types of lipids
Peripheral membrane proteins
non GPI linked
-either noncovalently attached or linked to membrane lipids
- can be removed from the membrane easily through changes in ionic strength (change pH or increase salt)
Integral membrane proteins
- span entire membrane
- can be reversibly removed by strong detergent
Amphitropic Membrane proteins
attached to membrane through covalent interactions with lipids or carbohydrates attached to lipids
linked to the membrane during specific regulatory events
-biologically regulated
- reversibly removed
Properties of the Membrane
- dynamic and flexible
- can exist in various phases and change phases
- not permeable to large polar solutes / ions
- permeable to small polar solutes and polar compounds
- permeability can be increased artificially by chemical treatment
What types of molecules are permeable to the membrane?
small polar solutes and non-polar compounds
What types of molecules are NOT permeable to the membrane?
large polar solutes / ions
What two phases can the membrane exist?
Fluid or gel
- liquid ordered state (gel) = individual molecules don’t move around
- liquid disordered state (fluid) = individual molecules can move around
Under physiological conditions, what phase is the membrane in?
More fluid-like
Heating causes phase transition from gel to fluid
Molecules in the membrane that favor the fluid state of the membrane?
Kinked unsaturated fatty acids (interfere with packing)
Short-chained fatty acyl groups
Molecules in the membrane that favor the GEL state of the membrane?
Long-chain saturated fatty acids (no kinks, can pack well)
Affect of sterols (steroids) on the bilayer?
sterols interact with phospholipids that contain unsaturated fatty acyl chains, compacting them and restricting motion
Affect of sterols (steroids) on the bilayer?
sterols interact with phospholipids that contain unsaturated fatty acyl chains, compacting them and restricting motion
What type of membrane proteins can be removed by changes in ionic strength like pH change?
peripheral
What type of membrane proteins can be removed reversibly
Amphitrophic
What type of membrane protein can be removed by detergents?
Integral
Type of membrane protein that once purified, no longer is associated with lipids
Peripheral
Type of membrane protein that once purified remains associated with phospholipids
integral
What is glycosylation?
attachment of oligosaccharides to proteins
- attaching 1+ lipids serves as a hydrophobic anchor or targeting tags
occurs mainly on the outer leaflet
Purpose of hydropathy plots
tell what regions of the protein are inside or outside. of the membrane
3 Types of Integral Proteins?
- Integrins
- Cadherins
- Selectins