Lecture 8: Biological Membranes Flashcards
Features: General structure
sheetlike structures - 2 molecules thick - that form closed boundaries between different compartments
Features: Makeup of membranes
- lipids and proteins
- mass ratio ranges from 1:4 and 4:1
- never any higher/lower than this ratio
- vary for different membranes
- some also contain carbohydrates that are linked to lipids and or proteins
Features: spontaneous activity
- hydrophilic and hydrophobic moieties
- spontaneously form closed bimolecular sheets in aqueous media
- barriers to the flow of polar molecules
Features: proteins
- embedded in the lipid bilayer
- mediate distinctive functions
- serve as pumps, channels, recepctors, transducers and enzymes
Features: Interactions of membranes
noncovalent interactions, act cooperatively
Features: Symmetry of membranes
- asymmetric
- two faces (leaflets, layers) of biological membranes have different lipid compositions
- individual peripheral membrane membrane proteins are only associated with one side of th emmebrane while integral membrane proteins have different domains on different sides of the membranes
Features: Fluidity
- fluid structures
- lipids diffuse rapidly in the phase of th emmebrane, as do proteins unless anchored
- do not ROTATE across the membrane, can be considered as an oriented 2D solution
saturated vs unsaturated fatty acids
more unsaturated keep mem more fluid (lower temps)
Features: Polarized
- electrically polarized
- inside is -60mv
- membrane potential a key role in transport, energy conversion, excitability
What are lipids?
- consists mostly of hydrocarbons
- serve as fuel molecules and energy stores
- signal molecules and messengers
- one of the two main components of membranes
Three major types of lipids
- phospholipids
- sphingolipids
- steroids
Glycerol structure
3 alcohol groups
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Sphingosine structure
sphingosine makes up backbone and tail
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Fatty acids
- feature of phospholipids and glycolipids
- various lengths and degree of unsaturation
- fatty acids in biological systems usually ocntain even number of carbon atoms (14-24)
- unsaturated have at least one DB in cis
- polyunsaturated are separated by at least 1 methylene group
Fatty acid numbering
- start at carboxyl terminus
- methyl at distal (far) end is thne w-carbon and double bond is represented by ►with superscript
Ex: nutritionists number from the omega/terminal
Omega 3-6-9 has DBs beginning on each of those carbons
chemists number in opposite direction
Linolenate
chemist: 9-12-15 (from carboxyl terminus)
nutritionist: 3-6-9 (from end)
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What affects the fluidity of fatty acids?
- decreasing chain length
Glycerophospholipids structure
Head group:
- choline
- phosphate
- glycerol
1 saturated tail
1 unsaturated tail
*ester bonds (from joining alcohol and carboxylic acid)
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Breakdown of glycerophospholipids via phospholipases
- produces a variety of signal molecules such as diacylglycerol and inositol phosphates (including inositol 1,4,5 trisP)
phospholipases A1 and A2
phospholipases C and D
phospholipasesd A1 and A2
cleave fatty acids from a glycerophospholipid, producing lysophospholipids
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C and D phospholipases
hydrolyze on either side of the phosphate in the polar head group
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Sphingolipids
1 fatty acid chain
ester bond vs amide bond