Biological membranes

Membranes separate cells and organelles

Membranes consist of mainly lipid bilayers and

proteins

Membranes are dynamic

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Why do cells need membranes?

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Requirements for a biological membrane

1. Permeability barrier that
separates inside from
outside

2. Flexible (fluid) so that a

cell can respond to its
environment

Growth,
movement,
change of shape

3 Selectively permeable to
3.
allow molecule exchange
with the environment
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Cell membrane types:

External(plasma) membrane = cell membrane
Internal membranes = organelle
g
membranes
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How is selective
membrane permeability achieved?

Require
q
pprotein-mediated
transport across the lipid
bilayer

Biomembrane Structure
Fluid mosaic model of membrane structure
A.

Lipids: barrier function

Membrane lipids are amphipathic

Lipids form bilayers in aqueous solutions
Classes of membrane lipids: phosphoglycerides,
sphingolipids, cholesterol

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Fats Are Made By Linking Fatty Acid Chains to

Glycerol,
y
, a Three Carbon Molecule

A fatty acid
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Major phospholipids in animal cell membranes

Phosphoglycerides (PE, PS and PC) consist of a three-carbon glycerol backbone

linked to:
Phosphate-head group
Two long chain fatty acids

steroid is a characterized by a carbon skeleton with four fused rings, generally arranged in a 6-6-6-5 fashion. Steroids vary by the
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functional groups attached to these rings and the oxidation state of the rings
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Structure of Lipid Molecule

Lipid molecule contains both hydrophilic
and hydrophobic regions
regions.
Polar headgroup : hydrophilic (i.e. water-loving)
O CH2 CH2 N+(CH3)3
O

H
O=C
H2C
H2C
H2C
H2C
H2C
H2C
H2C

P=O

CH2
O

CH2

H2C

CH2

H2C

CH2

H2C

CH2

H2C

C=O
CH2
CH2
CH2
CH

CH2

CH

CH2

H2C

CH2

H2C

CH3

H2C
H2C

CH2
CH2
CH2
CH3

polar
non-polar

Phospholipids are Building Blocks of Cellular Membranes

The hydrophilic head group and hydrophobic tails are the keys to phospholipid
function.

Phospholipids have a molecular Jekyll and Hyde split personality.

Hydrophilic Head Group And Hydrophobic Tails Are The Keys To

Phospholipid Function

How do lipids behave in an aqueous

environment?

Lipid bilayer
Lipids aggregate to hide their hydrophobic tail inside and
expose hydrophilic head to the outside (energetically
favorable!)

Do all lipids form bilayers in aqueous

environments?

The structure of a lipid

p determines its p
packaging
g g in an aqueous
q
environment
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Phospholipids Form Double-Layered Biological Membranes

Definition fluid mosaic?

fluid = movement occurs

mosaic = small pieces fitted together
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Fluid Mosaic model of a biological membrane

Text

Membrane proteins can be glycosylated

Plasma membrane proteins (and lipids) are often decorated with

carbohydrates
b h d
(
(sugars)
) on the
h exoplasmic
l
i surface
f

Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching

Diffusion coefficient, D, of a
rigid spherical molecule
molec le
D=kT/6r
Where is viscosity
r is radius of sphere
T is absolute temperature
k is Boltzman constant

Lateral diffusion of lipids is much more rapid than

transverse diffusion (flip-flop).

Lipids are distributed asymmetrically in a membrane

PC, SM found outer (exoplasmic) leaflet

PC
PE, PS found inner (cytosolic) leaflet
(Flip-flop of lipids requires the help of flippases. Flippases control the distribution of
lipids
p
in the bilayer
y and are critical for lipid
p asymmetry.)
y
y)

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What regulates membrane fluidity?

Factors that affect lipid packing ratio:

1. length of the hydrocarbon tail
lipids with shorter hydrocarbon chain interact less tightly
with their neighbors
g
2. degree of saturation of the hydrocarbon chain
-double
double bonds in lipid tails add kinks
kinks , prevent tight packaging
3. Steroids of membrane
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-Paracrystalline materials are defined as having short and medium

range ordering
d i in
i their
th i lattice
l tti but
b t lacking
l ki long
l
range order
d
-Above certain temperature lipid can undergo rapid motion and
paracrystalline changes to fluid.
fluid.- Transition temperature
(depends on lipid composition)
Steroids prevents highly ordered packing and increases
-Steroids
membrane fluidity

What creates the membrane potential?

The combination of the Na+K+ATPase pump and

potassium leak channels cause a stable
the p
imbalance of Na+ and K+ ions across the
membrane.

Membrane potential

=
Electrical charge difference across plasma membrane
Cytoplasmic side of membrane negative, fluid outside membrane is positive
Since opposite charges tend to move toward each other, a membrane stores energy
by holding opposite charges apart (like a battery)

Tracing the origin of the energy of the

membrane
b
potential:
t ti l

Solar energy
converted to sugar by plants
g y y to ATP
converted byy glycolysis
converted to concentration gradient by
NaK ATPase ((sodium/potassium
p
ppump)
p)
converted to voltage by passive K+ transport
((channels)) across a selectivelyy permeable
p
cell
membrane
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Gt = RT ln (C2 /C1)
For a tenfold gradient, the cost of moving 1 mol of an uncharged solute across the
membrane
b
separating
ti two
t compartments
t
t att 25 C is
i therefore
th f

Gt = (8.315 J/mol .K)(298 K)(ln 10/1) = 5,705 J/mol

or 5.7 kJ/mol.. The equation holds for all uncharged solutes.

 When the solute is an ion, its movement without an

accompanying
p y g counterion results in the endergonic
g
separation of positive and negative charges. The energetic
cost of moving an ion therefore depends on the difference
of electrical potential across the membrane as well as the
diff
difference
i the
in
th chemical
h i l concentrations
t ti
(th t is,
(that
i the
th
electrochemical potential):
Gt = RT lln (C2/Cl) + Zf
G

where Z is the charge on the ion, F is the Faraday constant

(96,480 J/V .mol), and is the transmembrane electrical
potential
t ti l (in
(i volts).
lt ) Eukaryotic
E k
ti celis
li typically
t i ll have
h
electrical potentials across their plasma membranes of the
order of 0.05 to 0.1 V, so the second term of the equation
can be a significant contribution to the total free-energy
change for transporting an ion. Most cells maintain ion
gradients larger than tenfold across their plasma or
intracellular membranes,, and for manyy cells and tissues,,
active transport is therefore a major energy-consuming
process.