Unit 1.3 - Cell membranes and transport Flashcards
What is the importance of the hydrophobic tails in the phospholipid bilayer?
Tails point towards each other, to the centre of the membrane.
What is the cell membrane made of?
phospholipids and proteins
1) What is the importance of the inner layer of the phospholipid?
2) What is the importance of the outer layer of the phospholipid?
1) Hydrophilic heads points towards the cell and interacts with the water in the cytoplasm.
2) Hydrophilic heads point outwards, interacting with water surrounding the cell.
What are biological membranes?
Phospholipid bilayers which contain protein molecules.
What does the phospholipid component of a membrane allow?
Allows lipid soluble molecules across, but no water-soluble molecules.
What is the function of cholesterol?
Stabilises the membrane.
1) Where are extrinsic proteins found?
2) What are their functions?
1) Either surface of bilayer
2) Structural support, form recognition sites by identifying cells and receptor sites for hormone attachment.
1) Where are intrinsic proteins found?
2) What are their functions?
1) Extend across both layers of the phospholipid bilayer.
2) Act as channel and carrier proteins for the active or passive transport of molecules.
Who was the fluid mosaic model proposed by?
Singer and Nicolson in 1972.
Fluid-Mosaic Model
1) What is meant by the term fluid?
2) What is meant by the term mosaic?
1) Individual phospholipid molecules are free to move within a layer relative to one another.
2) Proteins embedded in bilayer vary in shape, size and distribution among the phospholipids.
What do plant and animal cell membranes contain?
Glycoproteins, glycolipids and sterols.
1) What is the sterol in animal cell membranes?
2) Where does it occur?
3) What effect does this have on the membrane?
1) Cholesterol
2) Between phospholipid molecules
3) More stable at high temperatures and more fluid at low temperatures.
Permeability
How does small molecules move across the cell membrane?
e.g. oxygen, moves between phospholipid molecules and diffuse across the membrane.
Permeability
How does lipid-soluble molecules move across the cell membrane?
e.g. vitamin A, dissolves in phospholipid and diffuses across the membrane. Layer is hydrophobic so lipid-soluble move more easily than water-soluble.
Permeability
1) How does water soluble molecules move across the cell membrane?
2) How does this effect the cell-surface membrane?
1) e.g. glucose and ions, can’t readily diffuse through phospholipids, so pass through intrinsic protein molecules, which form water-filled channels across the membrane.
2) Selectively-permeable to water and some solutes.
What is the size of the phospholipid bilayer?
7-8nm.
What is simple diffusion?
Diffusion of small lipid soluble molecules which is a passive transport.
How does the concentration gradient affect the rate of diffusion?
Greater difference in the concentration of, more molecules diffuse in a given time.
How does the thickness of the exchange surface affect the rate of diffusion?
Thinner membrane, more molecules diffuse in a given time.
How does the surface area of the membrane affect the rate of diffusion?
Larger area, more molecules diffuse across in a given time.
How does the size of a diffusing molecule affect the rate of diffusion?
Smaller molecules diffuse faster than larger ones.
How does the nature of diffusing molecules affect the rate of diffusion?
Lipid-soluble molecules diffuse faster than water-soluble molecules.
How does temperature affect the rate of diffusion?
Increased temperature, increases rate as molecules/ions gain kinetic energy.
What is the relationship between rate of uptake and oxygen concentration?
Directly proportional - external conc. oxygen around a root increases, conc. gradient becomes steeper.
Why does facilitated diffusion occur?
Ions and molecules can’t pass through membrane because they’re insoluble in the phospholipid bilayer. Facilitated makes it easier for these molecules to diffuse.
How does facilitated diffusion (water-soluble molecules) occur?
Passive process and uses transport protein molecules.
1) What are channel proteins?
2) What is their function?
1) Molecules with pores with a hydrophilic lining allowing polar molecules to pass through.
2) Channels can be opened or closed to regulate the needs of the cell.
1) What do carrier proteins allow?
2) How does this occur?
1) Diffusion of larger polar molecules (sugars, amino acids) across the membrane.
2) Molecule attaches to binding site, carrier protein changes shape and releases the molecule on other side of membrane before changing back to its original shape.
What effect do carrier and channel proteins have on the rate of diffusion?
Increase rate down a concentration gradient without ATP from respiration.
State 6 differences between channel and carrier proteins.
Channel proteins:
Pore, only transport down a concentration gradient, solute doesn’t bind to transport protein, don’t change shape and has rapid transport.
What is the limiting factor between amino acid concentration and the rate of uptake?
There is a plateau. No increase in rate of uptake because all of the carrier proteins are occupied.
What is active transport? (contains mitochondria)
Ions and molecules are moved from an area of lower to an area of higher concentration against the concentration gradient using ATP.
1) Where does active transport occur?
2) What is rate limited by?
1) Through intrinsic carrier proteins spanning the membrane.
2) Number and availability of carrier proteins.
State 4 processes involving active transport.
Muscle contraction, nerve impulse transmission, reabsorption of glucose in the kidney and mineral uptake into plant root hairs.