lecture 18 Flashcards
3 membrane characteristics
involved in receiving info, import and export of molecules, motility (movement)
selective barriers
external and internal (ER, golgi, nucleus)
Hydrophilic molecules form
H bonds with water molecules
Hydrophobic molecules can’t..
form H bonds
predominant lipids in the cell membrane
phospholipids
phospholipids have
a phosphate head
two hydrophobic tails
ampiphatic
one part hydrophobic, one part hydrophillic
lipid bilayers are…
self-sealing
4 characteristics of a lipid bilayer
bilayers eliminate free edges to hide the hydrophobic tails from water
spontaneously form liposomes in the water
bend and adapt to changes in membrane structure
lipids can move laterally but not vertically
fluidity
the ease with which lipid molecules move in the plane of the bilayer
2 properties of the hydrocarbon chain that affect fluidity
- length of chain:
- shorter chain= less tail-tail interaction, increased fluidity
- longer chain= decreased fluidity - number of double bonds:
- saturated= no double bonds, increased fluidity
- unsaturated= double bonds, kink in the chain, decreased fluidity
saturated hydrocarbon chain means
fully saturated w hydrogens, no double bonds, more fluid
unsaturated hydrocarbon chains means
at least one double bond, creates a kink in the chain making it less fluid
what would you do to increase membrane fluidity at colder temp?
increase the number of double bonds in the carbon chain
3 characteristics of cholesterol
- Short, rigid lipid molecules that fill the space (caused by kinks in hydrocarbon tail) between neighbouring phospholipids
- Can stiffen the membrane
- Increases melting point of the membrane
how is the membrane assembled? (where are new phospholipids made?)
new phospholipids are made on the cytosolic side of the ER.
they remain on that monolayer unless they are transferred to the other layer by a protein