Module 3: Cells and Membranes Flashcards
Membranes are…
continuous, unbroken sheets, enclosing compartments
- structure allows fusion without losing continuity
Eukaryotic cells internal membranes define organelles…
(5)
- Nuclear envelope
- Mitochondrial membranes
- Chloroplast membranes
- Lysosomal membrane
- Endoplasmic membrane
Membrane Functions
- Compartmentalization (compartments have different contents and activities)
- Provide a selectively permeable barrier (prevent unrestricted exchange of molecules)
- Transporting solutes (exchange of molecules across membrane)
- Scaffold for biochemical activities
- Responding to external signals (signal transduction)
- Intercellular interaction (mediates interaction between cell and neighbors)
- Energy transduction (conversion of one form of energy into another)
Cell membrane is made of the following components…
Lipids
Proteins
Carbohydrates
- composed of two layers of lipids and the major type, phospholipids
Phospholipid arrangement
- can arrange themselves spontaneously
- arrangement depends on size of the polar head groups
- if head is large and bulky with 1 hydrophobic tail that is buried, spheres called MICELLES
- if contain smaller heads and have two hydrophobic tails, form BILAYER with a closed structure and inner space
- if added to water form enclosed bilayers called LIPOSOMES
- membranes are self healing and spontaneously rearrange
Membranes are dynamic because…
they are continually moving, forming and reforming, said to be fluid
Lipids can move…
laterally within the membrane
Following features of lipids affect fluidity…
- length of fatty acid tail, longer = less fluid
- presence of carbon-carbon double bonds, fewer = less fluid
- cholesterol, inserts into lipid bilayer of animal cell membranes, can increase or decrease fluidity depending on temperature
Lipids are found in the membrane in…
lipid rafts
- move in the plane of membrane but don’t flip flop
Several functions of membrane proteins…
- Transporters that move ions and molecules
- Receptors that allow cells to receive signals
- Enzymes that catalyze chemical reactions
- Anchors that attach to other proteins
Two types of Membrane proteins
- Integral: permanently associated with the membrane and can span entire lipid bilayer (transmembrane)
- Peripheral: temporarily associated with lipid bilayer or with integral proteins via non covalent bonds, can be in or outside the cell
Membrane Carbohydrates
Attached from outside of cell
- covalently linked together
– Protein (glycoprotein)
– Lipid (glycolipid)
The membrane is a fluid…
mosaic model
- core of membrane is lipid bilayer
- its a fluid structure that allows molecules to move laterally within the membrane
- contains mixture of different molecules
- dynamic structure, components are mobile and can engage in different interactions
Plasma membrane is…
selectively permeable
Which molecules can move across the bilayer?
- some molecules are more permeable than others, gases and nonpolar molecules can move across the bilayer
- macromolecules are too large to move across
- ## small uncharged polar molecules can move across the bilayer
Movement of substance into the cells…
influx
Movement of substance out of cells…
efflux
when one movement of substance exceeds the other…
net flux
Diffusion
- spontaneous process
- movement of molecules form high conc to low conc
Passive Transport
- occurs across a membrane via diffusion
– no energy required - driven by concentration gradient across the membrane
What are the 2 mechanisms for passive transport?
- Simple diffusion
- small molecules and simple molecules, go directly across membrane - Facilitated diffusion
- need help of a protein to get across
- molecules move down the concentration gradient through a protein transport
What are the two types of membrane transports?
- Channel protein
- changes shape around the molecule and releases what attached to it to the other side
- selective
- some exist in either open or closed conformation
- can change shape form open and usable to closed - Carrier protein
- specific molecules bind to transporter and moves down concentration gradient
- molecule bonds on one side, triggers conformational change, molecule exposed to other surface of membrane, diffuses down membrane
Osmosis
- diffusion of water from high [H2O] to low [H2O]
Why is osmotic pressure important?
- Need to consider tonicity of the solution a cell is surrounded by
- if equal, isotonic