Lesson 2.2 - Membrane Structure and Functions Flashcards
Membrane _____ have four functions: transport, enzymatic activity, triggering signals, and attachment and recognition of molecules.
Membrane proteins have four functions: transport, enzymatic activity, triggering signals, and attachment and recognition of molecules.
Cholesterol molecules are aligned with the lipid molecule on both sides of the bilayer. Is cholesterol polar or non-polar? Explain your answer.
Cholesterol’s hydrocarbon tail is made up of hydrogen and carbon that is non-polar but it also has a polar hydroxyl group so it is amphipathic (it has both a water-soluble and a fat-soluble region).
What is meant by membrane fluidity?
“Membrane fluidity” is the dynamic nature of the membrane, which allows for it to be flexible. That is, membrane lipids undergo free movement on their side of the bilayer.
Why is the word mosaic used as part of the fluid mosaic model to describe membrane structure?
The membrane is not only phospholipids, it is a mosaic of different compounds.
Define Sterol
A type of steroid with an OH group at one end and a non-polar hydrocarbon chain at the other.
If proteins are embedded in the lipid bilayer, they are called _____. If proteins are positioned on the surface of a membrane (and do not interact with the hydrophobic part of the membrane), we call them _____.
If proteins are embedded in the lipid bilayer, they are called integral membrane proteins. If proteins are positioned on the surface of a membrane (and do not interact with the hydrophobic part of the membrane), we call them peripheral membrane proteins.
When comparing the outside and inside halves of a cell membrane’s phospholipid bilayer, the composition of lipids on the two surfaces is asymmetrical. Describe how membranes are asymmetric.
The membranes are asymmetrical because the proteins and other components of one half of the lipid bilayer differ from those that make up the other half.
Our current view of membrane structure is based on the fluid mosaic model. What does the word “mosaic” refer to in the expression “fluid mosaic model”?
The “mosaic” in “fluid mosaic model” refers to the mixture of lipids and proteins in the plasma membrane.
How are protein receptors and enzymes similar?
They both detect molecules and perform an action in response. They both recognize and bind only to specific molecules at a specific time, changing shape after binding.
Define Glycolipid
Any membrane lipid that is bound to a carbohydrate.
What is a protein on the surface of the membrane known as?
Peripheral Membrane Protein
[The] dominant lipids that are found in membranes are _____.
[The] dominant lipids that are found in membranes are phospholipids.
If fatty acid tails are made of saturated fats, will the lipids [in a lipid bilayer of a cell membrane] pakc tighter or looser & why?
Saturated fats are so linear that they can make stronger intermolecular bonds, making them tighter.
[Membrane] proteins are scattered throughout the _____ and move around.
[Membrane] proteins are scattered throughout the membrane and move around.
Define Peripheral Membrane Protein
A protein on the surface of the membrane.
What is a membrane component that contains a sugar, or carbohydrate, bound to an amino acid known as?
Glycoprotein
Explain the four functional categories of membrane proteins.
Transport proteins help substances move through the plasma membrane. Enzymatic proteins help with respiration and photosynthesis. Triggering signal proteins bind specific chemicals used in cellular communication. Attachment and recognition proteins act as attachment points for structural elements such as the cytoskeleton or as recognition sites for foreign substances such as microbes.
[A cell] membrane is very _____ - proteins and other components of one half of the lipid bilayer differ from those that make up the other half of the bilayer (reflects the differences in the function performed by each half of the membrane).
[A cell] membrane is very asymmetrical - proteins and other components of one half of the lipid bilayer differ from those that make up the other half of the bilayer (reflects the differences in the function performed by each half of the membrane).
Membranes contain sterols, which help to maintain their _____.
Membranes contain sterols, which help to maintain their fluidity.
Which components affect the fluidity of a membrane?
Temperature and lipid composition affect membrane fluidity. For example, fatty acids composed of saturated hydrocarbons—in which each carbon is bound to a maximum number of hydrogen atoms—tend to have a straight shape, which allows the lipids to pack more tightly together. Alternatively, the double bonds in unsaturated fatty acids cause bent structure, so the lipid molecules are less straight and pack more loosely. Lipid molecules become more closely packed and rigid at low temperatures and more fluid at high temperatures. Cholesterol helps maintain the fluidity of the membrane by restraining lipid movement at high temperatures and preventing close packing at low temperatures.
What is any membrane lipid that is bound to a carbohydrate known as?
Glycolipid
At high temperatures, [sterols] _____ fluidity [in animal cell membrane]. They help to restrain the movement of the _____ molecules in a membrane (therefore reducing the fluidity of the membrane).
At high temperatures, [sterols] reduce fluidity [in animal cell membrane]. They help to restrain the movement of the lipid molecules in a membrane (therefore reducing the fluidity of the membrane).
The fluidity of a plasma membrane depends on the composition of the _____ molecules that make up the membrane, as well as the temperature.
The fluidity of a plasma membrane depends on the composition of the lipid molecules that make up the membrane, as well as the temperature.
Define Fluid Mosaic Model
The idea that a biological membrane consists of a fluid phospholipid bilayer, in which proteins are embedded and float freely.