Physiology Flashcards
What are the two principal constituents of a membrane
Lipids and proteins
What is the cell membrane primarily composed of
phospholipids
tell me about the structure of phospholipids
head - negatively charged, polar, hydrophilic
tails - uncharged, non-polar, hydrophobic
What do phospholipids form in aqueous solution
bilayer :
head groups orientated towards the water
tails oriented away from the water
Tell me about the fluidity of a membrane
lipid bilayer is fluid
phospholipids constantly moving (temperature dependent)
Cholesterol provides some stability
Tell me about the permeability of a membrane
Water-soluble substances can’t diffuse through the membrane e.g. ions, proteins
Small, uncharged polar molecules can diffuse freely e.g. Oxygen, CO2, water
Membrane is selectively permeable
What are the 3 important functions of the lipid bilayer
- It forms the basic structure of the membrane
- Its hydrophobic interior serves as a barrier (the cell can maintain differences in solute composition and concentrations inside/outside the cell)
- It is responsible for the fluidity of the membrane (enables cells to change shape)
How can membrane proteins be associated with the PM
integrally or peripherally
Tell me about peripherally associated membrane proteins
Not embedded within the membrane
Instead adhere tightly to the cytoplasmic or extracellular surfaces of the PM
Tell me about integral membrane proteins
- Transmembrane proteins : span the lipid bilayer
- Some are embedded but do not cross the bilayer
- some are linked to a lipid component that intercalates into the membrane
functions of Integral membrane proteins : ligand binding receptors
e.g. hormone receptors
functions of Integral membrane proteins : adhesion molecules
Form physical contacts with the surrounding extracellular matrix or with cellular neighbours
Important in regulating cell shape, growth and differentiation, allowing the cell to adapt to its immediate surroundings
functions of Integral membrane proteins : pores and channels
allow water or specific ions to flow passively through the bilayer
functions of Integral membrane proteins : carriers
facilitated transport, or couple transport molecules to other solutes
functions of Integral membrane proteins : pumps
use ATP to drive transport in/out of cell
functions of Integral membrane proteins : enzymes
e.g. membrane bound enzymes in small intestine
Can the integral membrane protein participate in intracellular signalling
Yes
What is glycolax
glycoproteins and glycolipids located on outer surface of cells (membrane carbohydrate)
What are the functions of membrane carbohydrates
self identify markers
tissue growth - cells do not overgrow their own territory
cancer cells have abnormal markers
What are the three types of specialised cell junctions
Tight junctions, desmosomes, gap junctions
Tell me about tight junctions
join lateral edges of epithelial cells near to their luminal (apical) membranes, can be tight or leaky
Tell me about desmosomes
adhering junctions that anchor cells together, especially in tissues subject to stretching (e.g. skin, heart, uterus)
Tell me about gap junctions
(‘communicating junctions’) allow the movement of charge carrying ions and small molecules between two adjacent cells
what are the two properties that influence whether a particle can permeate the plasma membrane without assistance
soluble or the particle in lipid
size of the particle
what is required for movement across a membrane (applies for assisted or unassisted)
pathway and driving force
tell me about unassisted membrane transport
diffusion down a concentration gradient
movement along an electrical gradient
Fick’s Law of Diffusion
Q = △C * A * P
Q = rate of diffusion
△C = concentration gradient of substance
A = surface area of membrane
P = permeability
Along with the concentration gradient, what do ions move along
Electrical gradient
Tell me about electrical gradient
difference in charge between two adjacent areas, promotes the movement of ions to the area of opposite charge
Tell me about electrochemical gradient
electrical and concentration gradient acting on an ion simultaneously
What is osmosis the movement of
water down its own concentration gradient through a selectively permeable membrane
What is osmolarity
the concentration of osmotically active particles in a solution (Osm/l)
body fluids are around 300 mOsm/l
What is tonicity
the effect a solution has on cell volume
isotonic - no net movement of water, no change in cell vol
hypotonic - water diffuses into cells, cells swell
hypertonic - water diffuses out of cells, cells shrink
What are two different mechanisms for selective transport
carrier-mediated transport
vesicular transport
What happens in carrier mediated transport
substance binds onto a carrier which undergoes a conformational change, which transports the substance
What are the factors that determine the kind/amount of material transported in carrier mediated transport
specificity
saturation
competition
Tell me about facilitated diffusion
uses a carrier to facilitate the transfer of a substance across the membrane from high to low concentration
Tell me about active transport
requires the carrier to expand energy to transfer a substance against a concentration gradient
What can active transport be split into
primary and secondary
Tell me about primary active transport
energy (ATP) is directly required to move a substance against its concentration gradient (e.g. 3Na+ out for every 2K+ in)
Tell me about secondary active transport
carrier moves molecule against concentration gradient by using secondhand energy stored as an ion concentration
What does symport mean
solute and Na+ move in same direction
What does antiport mean
solute and Na+ move in opposite directions
Does vesicular transport require energy
yes
Tell me about exocytosis
vesicle fuses with the plasma membrane, releasing its contents to the ECF
Tell me about endocytosis
‘pinching off’ of membrane to engulf substance
What are the two types of vesicular transport
exocytosis and endocytosis
What is the membrane potential (Em) - units mV
Separation of opposite charges across the membrane
What does the Em actually refer to
the difference in charge between the thin layers of the EXF and ICF located next to the inside and outside of the membrane (membrane itself is not charged)
What can excitable cells do (nerve and muscle)
produce rapid transient changes in their membrane potential when excited (action potentials)
Is the membrane charged
No
Is the membrane charged
No
When is resting membrane potential constant
non-excitable cells and in excitable cells at rest
What is responsible for the resting potenital
unequal distribution of ions and their selective movement through the plasma membrane are responsible for the resting potential
Where is there a higher concentration of Na+
outside the cell - concentration gradient is inward
Where is there a higher concentration of K+
Inside the cell - concentration gradient is outward
How can K+ and Na+ both be described
cation
Which way will the electrical gradient be for K+ and Na+
towards the negatively charged side of the membrane (as they are both cations)
Is the plasma membrane permeable or impermeable to the negatively charged intracellular proteins (A-)
impermeable
At resting potential, tell me about the permeability of the membrane for K+ compared to Na+
100x more permeable to K+ than Na+
Tell me about the equilibrium potential
When the concentration gradient and electrical gradient of an ion balance each other out - no further net movement of the ion
Membrane potential at the Potassium equilibrium potential (Ek) =
-90mV
Membrane potential at the sodium equilibrium potential (ENa) =
+60 mV
Resting membrane potential (ask robyn)
Nernst equation (monovalent cation at 37 degrees)
What are all cells at rest
negative inside (around 70mV)
The greater the permeability for a given ion…
the greater the tendency for that ion to drive membrane potential towards the ion’s own equilibrium potential