M&R Session 1 Flashcards
Membrane composition?
60% protein
40% lipid
1-10% carbohydrate
5 main functions of biological membranes?
- Selectively permeable barrier
- Control chemical environment
- Communication
- Recognition
- Signal generation
Structure of phospholipids?
Glycerol
2 FA chains
Phosphate head group
What are cerebrosides?
Glycolipids with sugar monomer heads
What are gangliosides?
Glycolipids with oligosaccharide head groups
What kind of molecules are membrane lipids?
Amphipathic
Four methods of lipid mobility?
- Intra-chain motion
- Fast-axial rotation
- Fast lateral diffusion
- Flip-flop
Three modes of permitted mobility of proteins in biological membranes?
- Conformational change
- Rotational
- Lateral
Restraints on protein mobility in membranes?
Flip flop too energetic
Aggregates - movement w/in membrane slower
Tethering - cannot physically move
Interaction w/other cells - adhesion proteins fixed
Lipid mediated effects - prefer cholesterol poor regions
Evidence for membrane proteins?
Facilitated diffusion
Ion gradients
Specificity of cell responses
Membrane fracture
Amphipathic molecule arrangement in water?
Micelle or bilayer
How are liposomes formed?
Enclosure by lipid bilayer in aqueous media
Structure of cholesterol?
Polar head group
Rigid planar steroid ring
Non-polar hydrocarbon tail
What is the function of cholesterol in the phospholipid bilayer?
Abolishes endothermic phase transition (reduces melting temperature)
Reduces phospholipid chain motion (reduces fluidity)
How does cholesterol reduce fluidity in the CSM?
Beta-OH locks onto adjacent phospholipid - rigid ring obstructs packing
Is the flexible tail motion of a phospholipid bilayer affected by cholesterol?
No
What is the overall result of cholesterol on a phospholipid bilayer?
Homogenise properties to keep membrane constant over a greater range of temperatures