Lecture 7: Membranes Flashcards
Why are proteins amphiphilic?
They have stretches of hydrohpobic and hydrophilic amino acids
What part of alpha-helix proteins that integrate into the membrane protein interact with the membrane?
The side chains of the alpha helix protein stick out of the sides and interact with the plasma membrane
What side chains interact with the fatty acid chains of the phospholipid bilayer?
Non-polar(hydrophobic) side chains
Where are the polar(hydrophilic) amino acids found in the plasma membrane?
Near the polar phosphate head groups of the membrane
How do proteins move within the lipid bilayer?
Laterally
Why can’t proteins flip flop within the membrane?
There are specific proteins that interact with things on the outside of the bilayer and other proteins that only interact with things within the bilayer
Integral membrane proteins
Proteins that cross the lipid bilayer(found on both the outside and inside of the bilayer)
Peripheral membrane proteins
Bound to integral membrane proteins or found on the outsides of the membrane alone
Oligosaccharides in the membrane
Chains attached to proteins and help give them additional characteristics
-Retain water and help single celled organism stay in the right place
Why is the overall membrane structure called the fluid mosaic?
Fluid: All components within the membrane can move around laterally
Mosaic: A variety of different components(proteins, lipids) are inserted into the membrane, to carry out a variety of functions
What did the freeze fracture microscopy experiment prove?
Proved that the lipid bilayer contains many proteins
How did the freeze fracture microscopy experiment work?
- Cell were flash freezed
- Then the cell in the block of ice is fractured, this causes the lipid bilayer to fracture into two leaflets
- Electron microscopy is then done on the leaflet samples, this displays many black dots that indicate a membrane protein
Two main functions of the membrane and what they do?
- Acts as a barrier: Prevents toxins, chemicals and unwanted things from entering the cell
- Transportation: Allows good molecules(sugars) to enter the cell
What type of permeability do membranes have and what does it mean?
Membranes have selective permeability, meaning that they only allow what they want in and out
What is a highly permeable molecule and what are some examples?
Highly permeable molecules can cross the lipid membrane very easily
ex.
-Small non polar molecules(gases)
- Small uncharged polar molecules
What is a low permeable molecule and what are some examples?
A low permeable molecule is one that cannot cross through the lipid bilayer by itself
ex.
- Large uncharges polar molecules
-ions
Why is it so hard for ions to cross the lipid bilayer?
They are large and have a hydration shell surrounding them
What molecules are transported via passive transportation?
Highly permeable molecules
What is passive transport?
Type of membrane transport that does not require energy to transport molecules across the membrane
What are the three types of passive transport?
- Simple diffusion
- Facilitated diffusion
- Osmosis
What is simple diffusion?
The passive mixing of substances resulting in net transport along a concentration gradient.