Membranes & Receptors Flashcards
Membrane composition
40% lipid
60% protein
1-10% carbohydrates
20% water if hydrated
Main functions of a biological membrane?
Continuous highly selective permeability Barrie’s
Communication
Control of enclosed chemical environment
Signal generation in response to stimuli
Different regions of different membranes have different properties
Membrane phospholipids consist of…
Phospholipid -> glycerol, phosphate head, 2 fatty acids
Polar head groups: choline, amines, aa, sugars
What are glycolipids?
Sugar containing lipids
What are cerebrosides in glycolipids?
Head group is a sugar monomer
What are gangliosides in glycolipids?
Head groups is an oligosaccride
What is the ratio of cholesterol to phospholipase in the membrane?
1:1
Amphipathic molecules form….
Micelles and bilayers
What are the modes of mobility of membrane lipids?
- intra chain motion
- fast axial rotation
- fast lateral diffusion
- flip flop
How cholesterol contributes to membrane stability?
- Reduces phospholipid packing -> increased fluidity, low temp
By interaction of TSH rigid planar conjugated ring - Reduces phospholipid chain motion -> decreases fluidity, high temp
What is the functional evidence for membrane proteins?
Facilitated diffusion, ion gradients, specificity of cell membrane
What is the biochemical evidence for membrane proteins?
Membrane fractionation, gel electrophoresis, free fracture
Mobility of proteins in bilayers?
Conformational change
Rotational
Lateral diffusion
Why does flip flop not occur in proteins in membrane?
Due to having to move large hydrophilic moieties through hydrophobic region requires lots of energy and it would be too destructive.
What re the constraints of proteins in bilayers?
Aggregates, tethering, interaction with other cells, membrane protein associations, lipid mediated effects: separate into fluid phase and cholesterol poor regions, associated with extra membranous proteins e.g. Cytoskeleton
How to peripheral proteins associated with lipid bilayer?
Electrostatic and hydrogen bond interactions
How do integral membrane proteins associate with the lipid bilayer?
Ine at with hydrophobic regions
What is needed to remove integral membrane proteins from the bilayer?
Detergents and organic solvents
-> agents that competed for non polar interactions
What is needed to remover peripheral proteins from the bilayer?
Changes in pH or ionic strength
How do membrane proteins contribute to the (erythrocyte) cytoskeleton?
There is a network of spectrin and actin attached to the membrane via adaptor proteins. 10 major proteins Bands 3 + 7 are transmembrane Anhydride band 4.9 + 4.1 link spectrin Band 3 protein and glycoprotein A
What are the two possible causes of haemolytic anaemias?
Hereditary spherocytosis
Hereditary elliptocutosis
What is hereditary spherocytosis?
Autosomal dominant
Your spectrin levels are depleted, so RBC round and are lysed by the spleen prematurely so have shortened lifespan
What is hereditary elliptocytosis?
Mutation in spectrin prevents end to end association so unable, to from stand hereotertramers resulting in fragile elliptoid cells
Transport proteins have important roles such as….
Regulation of cell volume
Maintenance of intracellular pH
Extrusion of waste products of metabolism and toxic substances
Generation of ionic gradients necessary for electrical activity
Concentrated metabolic fuel and a building blocks
What are the ways in which facilitated diffusion occurs?
Carrier molecules/ping pong
Protein flip flop
Protein pores -> ligand, voltages gated
Remember is saturable!
Describe the two types of active transport?
Directly -> primary active transport
Indirectly -> secondary active transport
What are the main differences between passive and active transport?
Activate transport is against the concentration gradient of the transported species and free energy is used
What is a co transport system?
More than 1 type of ion or molecule is transported per reaction cycle
What are the three types of transport?
Uni port
Symport
Anti port
Describe uniport
1 solute molecules is transported from 1 side of the membrane to another
Describe symport
Transfer of 1 solute molecule depends on the simultaneous sequential transfer of a 2nd solute in the same direction
Describe anti port
Transfer of 1 solute molecule depends in the simultaneous transport of a 2nd solute molecule in the opposite direction
What transporters are involved in the control of the resting intracellular calcium concentration?
PMCA
SERCA
NCX
Mitochondrial Ca2+ uniporters
What transporters are involved in opposing the acidification of a cell?
So expel H+ and more HCO3- inwards
NBC, NHE, Na+/HCO3- co transporter
Then Na+/K+ ATPase creates the Na+ gradient.
What transporters are used in opposing alkalinisation of the cell?
Alkali extrusion
AE, HCO3- out and Cl- in
How is cell volume regulated?
Cells with extrude and influx certain ions in responses to cell swelling and shrinking such as Na+, Cl- and K+
NBC, AE, NHE
Why can we not use buffers to regulate cell pH?
Because they would be quickly overwhelmed
Why does the kidney reabsorb the bicarbonate a filtered into the PCT?
To retain the bases for buffers
Explain renal bicarbonate reabsorption
So use NHE to collect Na and the this goes back into the blood using sodium potassium ATPase then the H+ in the lumen combines with the HCO3- to form H2CO3 which forms H20 and CO2 (carbonic anhydrase) which is reabsorbed then forms H2CO3 which goes to H+ and HCO3- then using AE HCO3 absorbed into the blood then the H+ is reused in NHE
Explain the action of 1 diuretic
In the DCT, amiloride blocks the sodium transporter ENaC hence preventing sodium reabsorption and therefore water
What is the intracellular and extracellular concentration of calcium?
Intracellular: 10^-7 M
Extracellular: 1.5 mM
What is the intracellular and extracellular concentration of chloride?
Intracellular: 4.2 mM
Extracellular: 123 mM
What is the intracellular and extracellular concentration of potassium?
Intracellular: 155mM
Extracellular: 4mM
What is the intracellular and extracellular concentration of calcium?
Intracellular: 12 mM
Extracellular: 145mM
Why is the membrane selectively permeable to certain ions and molecules?
Channel proteins and membrane spanning proteins
Properties of ion channels?
Selectively
Gating
High rate of flow that is always down the ions concentration gradient
How is the resting membrane potential set up?
- Membrane has open K+ channels so it is selectively permeable to K+, which diffuse out of the cell down its concentration gradient
- Since anions cannot follow the cell becomes negatively charged on the inside
- The membrane potential will oppose the outward movement of potassium until an equilibrium is reached, Ek which is the point as which the electrical and diffusion all forces balance another and there is no net movement of an ion
Define equilibrium potential
is the point as which the electrical and diffusion all forces balance another and there is no net movement of an ion
Define depolarisation
A decrease in the membrane potential from its normal value so that the inside of the cell becomes less negative
Opening of potassium and sodium channels
Define Hyperpolarisation
An increase in the membrane potential so that the inside of the cell becomes more negative
Opening of potassium and chloride channels
What is fast synaptic transmission?
Were the receptor is an ligand gated ion channel
What is an EPSP/excitatory post synaptic potential?
Is caused but depolarising transmitters opening channels, Ca2+, Na+, cations leading to an excitation of cells/depolarisation.
Longer time cause than and AP
Grade with amount of transmitter, ACh and glutamate
What is an IPSP/inhibitory post synaptic potential?
Hyper polarising transmitters, glycine and GABA open K+ or Cl- channels.
Leads to inhibition,
What is slow synaptic transmission?
Receptor itself is not an ion channel but signal in 1/2 ways both involving GTP-binding proteins.
Direct G-protein gating or via an intracellular messenger
What is the formulae for conduction velocity?
Distance between stimulatory and regarding electrode/ tie gap between stimulus and AP registered by recording electrode
What is the difference between diphasis and monophasic recording?
Diphasic, neurone is not damaged at end
Monophasic, neurone is damaged
See notes for pictures
How are axons artificially raised to threshold?
Excitability will be reduced under a anode so excitation occurs under a cathode directly stimulating an axon to threshold
What are the things that effect conduction velocity?
Capacitance, ability to store charge
Membrane resistance, more ion channels open = low resistance
Diameter of axon