Skin Flashcards
What is the plasma membrane?
The plasma membrane is a phospholipid bilayer that gives the cell a barrier between its intracellular and extracellular environment
What do the cholesterol molecules and carbohydrates on the plasma membrane add?
Cholesterol inhibits packing of the lipids allowing the membrane to be fluid, and carbohydrates allow for recognition of the cell
What does amphipathic mean?
Having both hydrophobic and hydrophilic qualities
What do membrane receptors do?
interact with signalling molecules on the outside and initiate a reaction inside the cell
Describe the double membrane of the nucleus
the inner membrane is the nuclear lamina supported by intermediate filaments, the outer membrane is continuous with the ER
What are the four compartments of the mitochondria?
Outer Membrane-selectively permeable
Inner Membrane- folded into cristae (ETC)
Matrix
Intermembrane space
What is the ER and its function?
The endoplasmic reticulum is a series of flattened membranes with a Rough ER where ribosomes can synthesise proteins and a smooth ER where lipid synthesis occurs.
Golgi Apparatus description
The Golgi Apparatus receives proteins from the ER and is the sorting office for these proteins final destinations via post-translational modification,
What do lysosomes do?
lysosomes contain hydrolytic enzymes and degrade unwanted molecules
Cytoskeleton
supports the plasma membrane and gives the cell some shape and structure
What are the three classes of filaments?
microtubules made of tubulin monomers
microfilaments made of actin
intermediate filaments made from proteins like keratin
Describe microtubules?
They are cylindrical tubes that grow outwards from the MTOC, and facilitate the movement of vesicles and organelles around the cell
What are axonemes?
they’re made from microtubules and dynein and make up the cytoskeleton of cilia and flagella.
Kartagener’s Syndrome is a mutation in the dynein, meaning sperm are immotile due to the flagella being useless and recurrent respiratory infections with cilia not being able to clear mucus
What are junctions?
Junctions are transmembrane protein complexes that connect cells to each other or to the ECM.
What are the three types of junction?
Anchoring, Tight, Gap
What is an anchoring junction?
Anchoring junctions provide stability for epithelial cells to work together. Focal Adhesions join cells to the ECM, Adherens join cells together (for microfilament Actin cytoskeleton)
In an intermediate filament network, desmosomes connect cell to cell, hemidesmosomes cell to ECM
Describe Tight junctions
Tight junctions are cell to cell contact and have two functions:
prevent diffusion of molecules to neighbouring cells and create a barrier within epithelial cell membranes preventing mixing of membrane proteins, creating an apical and basolateral membrane.
What are Gap junctions?
Gap junctions allow communication between cells and are intercellular channels connecting the cytoplasms of two cells. this allows passage of small ions and molecules. gap junctions are made of connexins.
How are proteins dispatched to their required location?
They contain an amino acid sequence that shows where they need to go
Describe the three ways in which proteins are transported around the cell
Nuclear pores- gates on the nuclear membrane
Transport vesicles- for movement from the ER onwards
Translocators- move proteins from the cytosol onwards to ER etc