Lecture 3 & 4 Outline Flashcards
What are the 4 functions of the cell membrane?
- Physical barrier
- separates intracellular fluid from ECF - Gateway for exchange
- controls movement of solutes: allows some to cross, prevents others from crossing (semipermeable…) - Communication
- home to receptors that detect physical & chemical stimuli & starts cascade of response to stimuli - Cell structure
- some membrane proteins hold cytoskeleton proteins to give cell structure
- may also form specialized junctions
What is the structure of cell membranes?
made of mostly protein & lipid
- ratio of protein & lipid is different for different cell types
early model was a “Butter sandwich”
- a clear layer of lipids sandwiched b/t 2 dark layers of protein
- implies that it is homogenous that is NOT accurate
present day model is “Fluid mosaic”
- proteins are afloat on a sea of lipid
What are the 4 types of lipids?
- Glycolipids
- Phospholipids
- Cholesterol
- Sphingolipids
Glycolipids (a lipid, & its role in cell membrane structure)
a carbohydrate that is covalently linked to a lipid. Glycolipids are biomolecular structures in the phospholipid bilayer of the cell membrane whose carbohydrate component extends to the outside of the cell. Glycolipids are essential in providing stability of the plasma membrane.
Phospholipids (a lipid, & its role in cell membrane structure)
- mostly phospholipids
- several different varieties: (R-group, saturation)
- polar head groups toward aqueous sides, non-polar fatty acid tails inside
Cholesterol (a lipid, & its role in cell membrane structure)
- flat molecule, slips b/t fatty acid tails
what it does:
- cholesterol regulates membrane fluidity
- slows diffusion of molecules across membrane
Sphingolipids (a lipid, & its role in cell membrane structure)
have longer tails than phospholipids
tend to aggregate together = lipids raft
- rafts also have a high density of cholesterol
- some proteins associated ONLY with lipid rafts, leading to areas of SPECIALIZATION on cell membranes
- for ex: some G-protein couples receptors!
What are the 5 components of proteins for the cell membrane structure?
- Integral
- Peripheral
- Lipid-anchored
- Cytoskeletal
- Extracellular matrix
Integral proteins (role in cell membrane structure)
- polytopic (=transmembrane, more than one MSR)
- bitopic (=transmembrane, one MSR)
- monotropic (=permanently associated from one side)
Integral proteins (transmembrane)
permanently attached to cell membrane
- integral polytopic/bitopic = transmembrane proteins (span the lipid bilayer once or several times & approximately 20-25 hydrophobic AA’s to span the cell membrane)
Integral proteins (monotopic)
permanently attached to cell membrane
- integral monotopic proteins - permanently attached to the membrane from one side
A. may have strong hydrophobic sections that allow it to tightly associate with lipid portion of bilayer
B. may be modified by the addition of a fatty acid
C. may be electrostatic or ionic interactions b/t protein & phospholipid (tightly bound)
Peripheral proteins (role in cell membrane structure)
associate non-covalently with integral proteins, or polar heads of phospholipids
Cytoskeletal/cytoskeleton (role in cell membrane structure)
- not a membrane protein, but often interact with membrane proteins
- flexible skeleton of fibrous proteins throughout the cytoplasm (give physical strength)
Extracellular matrix (role in cell membrane structure)
- membrane proteins & secreted protein found on the extracellular side of cell membranes
- forms a “husk” around cells
- highly variable GLYCOSYLATION
- contribute to physical strength of cells
Definition of diffusion
- process of moving solute molecules away from an area of high concentration towards area of low concentration (“down the concentration gradient”)
- passive (no external energy, just kinetic energy of molecules)
- process continues until equilibrium is reached
What are the 5 factors that influence diffusion?
- Fast over short distances
- Slow over long distances
- Rate of diffusion is faster at high temp
- Rate of diffusion is faster for small molecules
- Rate of diffusion is slower across a membrane