Eukaryotic Membranes And Organelles Flashcards
Main roles of the plasma membrane
- Compartmentalisation
- Transport
- Signal transduction
- Intracellular junctions
What is the plasma membrane
• The plasma membrane is the boundary that separates the living cell from its surroundings.It exhibits selective permeability
Phospholipid bilateralne
• Phospholipids are the most abundant lipid in the plasma membrane
• Phospholipids are amphipathic molecules, containing hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions
• A phospholipid bilayer can exist as a stable boundary between two aqueous compartments
-The fluid mosaic model states that a membrane is a fluid structure with a “mosaic” of various proteins embedded in it
Membrane proteins and functions in the cell memabrnes
• Mosaic–collection/clusteringof proteins
• Membraneproteinsspecifictocell type
• Receptors can often infer cell/organ function
• Key roles in cellular homeostasis
Examples of membrane proteins(types of them)
Transport
Enzyme activity
Signal transduction
Cell-cell recognition
Intercellular joining
Attachment to cytoskeleton and extra cellular matrix
Factors which influence membrane fluidity
• Fluidityaffectedbytemperature
• Steroids(cholesterol)
• Impaired fluidity – loss of
membrane function/integrity
• Influence cell/organelle function
Osmosis
-Movement of water particles from low to High concentration/water potential
-in most cells water tends to move inward
Types of solutions
• Isotonic solution: Solute concentration is the same as that inside the cell; no net water movement across the plasma membrane
• Hypertonic solution: Solute concentration is greater than that inside the cell; cell loses water
• Hypotonic solution: Solute concentration is less than that inside the cell; cell gains water
Effect of hypotonic solution
Lysis of the cell
Effect of hyper tonic solution
Shrivelling
Facilitated diffusion
• Most substances in the cell are too large or too polar to cross membranes by simple diffusion
• These can only move in and out of cells with the assistance of transport proteins
• This is called facilitated diffusion; the solute diffuses as dictated by its concentration gradient
Transport proteins
are large, integral membrane proteins with multiple transmembrane segments
Channel proteins
form hydrophilic channels through the membrane to provide a passage route for solutes
Carrier proteins
(transporters or permeases) bind solute molecules on one side of a membrane, undergo a conformation change, and release the solute on the other side of the membrane
Aquaporins
• Movementofwateracrosscellmembranesin some tissues is faster than expected given the polarity of the water molecule
• Aquaporin (AQP) was discovered only in 1992
• Aquaporins allow rapid passage of water through membranes of erythrocytes and kidney cells
Ion Channels
• Ion channels allow the diffusion of ions such as K+ and Na+ through a pore
• Most ion channels are ‘gated’ which means that they only allow flow following certain stimuli
• They often maintain the resting membrane potential of the cell
Carrier proteins
• Carrier proteins undergo a subtle change in shape that translocates the solute-binding site across the membrane
• This conformational change is cause by binding or release of the solute
• Facilitated diffusion is still passive because the solute moves down its concentration gradient, and the transport requires no energy
• Some transport proteins, however, can move solutes against their concentration gradients
Active transport
• Moves substances against their concentration gradients
• Requires energy, usually in the form of ATP
• Is performed by specific proteins embedded in the membranes
• Allows cells to maintain concentration gradients that differ from their surroundings
• The sodium-potassium pump is one type of active transport system
Resting k+ channel(ion Channels)
Always open
Allows passage of potassium molecules
Voltage gated channel(ion channel)
Opens transiently in response to change in the membrane potential
Ligand gated channel(ion channels)
Opens(closes)in responses to a specific extra cellular neurotransmitter