Topic 3: Membranes Flashcards
What is the most abundant lipid in the plasma membrane?
Phospholipids
Phospholipids are _________ _________, containing hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions.
amphipathic molecules
Characteristics of phospholipids
- spontaneously form membrane bilayers
- hydrophobic core
- which creates selectively permeable barrier
Fluid Mosaic Model
A membrane is a fluid structure with a “mosaic” of proteins embedded in it
True or False: in the fluid mosaic model, there are no covalent bonds; only hydrophobic/hydrophilic interactions
True
Factors that affect the fluidity of a membrane:
- Temperature: cold=viscous
hot=fluid
- Fatty acid tail saturation:
- sat = viscous
- unsat = fluid
- tail length: long=viscous
short=fluid
- Presence of sterols -> act of stabilize fluidityWhat regulates membrane fluidity?
Sterols
Cholesterol is found in:
Animals
Animal cells insert cholesterol into bilayer to:
- Prevent freezing by stopping phospholipids from packing too tightly
- Prevent melting by restraining phospholipid movement and filling gaps
Membrane composition is an ________ _____ and is also ________.
adaptive trait, plastic (changeable, mouldable)
Peripheral proteins
- bound to surface of membrane
- polar amino acids on outside, non-polar inside
Integral proteins
- penetrate the hydrophobic core and are embedded in membrane
- non-polar regions interact with core of membrane
6 major functions of membrane proteins
- transport across membrane
- enzymatic
- signalling
- cell-cell recognition
- joining
- Anchoring
What is the permeability of the lipid bilayer?
selectively permeable
- small and uncharged molecules let through
- large and charged blocked
What is passed through lipid bilayer most easily?
Nonpolar molecules
- O2, CO2, N2
