CELL AND MOLECULAR As long as there are

BIOLOGY reactants present in the

CHAPTER 8 solute, relative position
cannot be stabilized
CELLULAR MEMBRANES Interactions in the cell
depend on random
Plasma Membrane collisions
Thin and fragile Function: Membranes
5 to 10 nm wide provide the extensive
J.D. Robertson framework of
The plasma membrane is a scaffolding which
trilaminar layer components can be
Trilaminar layer: Dark ordered for effective
staining inner and outer interaction
layer, lightly staining middle
layer
Membrane has a lipid 3. Providing a selectively
bilayer: Polar surface (polar permeable barrier
head) and non-polar tails Provide a barrier that
prevents the
Membrane Functions unrestricted exchange
1. Compartmentalization of molecules from one
Membranes are side to another
continuous and Function: For
unbroken sheets communication
Function: enclose between
compartments in the compartments as it
cell separates
(the nuclear and Function: Promote
cytoplasmic movement of
membranes enclose selected elements
intercellular spaces) into and out of the
The compartments enclosed living space
allow specialized
activities to proceed 4. Transporting solutes
without any external Transports
interference and substances from one
there is regulation of side to another side
the cellular activities Follows the pathway
of lower
2. Scaffold for biochemical concentration to
activities higher concentration
Membranes are also There will be an
scaffolds accumulation of sugar
and amino acids for
 metabolism and 2. Adhere to one
macromolecules another (cell
Transport ions- ionic adhesion)
gradient (nerve and 3. Exchange materials
muscle cells) and information
Proteins can
5. Responding to external facilitate
stimuli interaction
Response of a cell to between
the external stimuli extracellular
Signal transduction: materials and
receptors bind to intracellular
ligands cytoskeleton
Respond to other
types of stimuli such 7. Energy transduction
as light or Energy is
mechanical tension converted from one
Signals generated may type to another
stimulate or inhibit type
internal activities Photosynthesis
Ex: has the most
1. Signals generated abundant energy
at the plasma transduction (light
membrane may tell energy to chemical
a cell to energy)
manufacture more Energy from the sun
glycogen is absorbed by the
2. Prepare for cell membrane bound
division pigments (energy
3. Move toward a will be stored as
higher carbohydrates)
concentration of a
particular Plasma Membrane Structure
compounds Ernst Overton
4. Release calcium - Lipids are chemical
from internal stores in nature
5. Commit suicide - Like dissolves like
(apoptosis) (non-polar solute
dissolves in non-
6. Intercellular interaction polar solvent)
Interaction of a cell - Used plant root
with its neighbors hairs: more lipid-
Outer edge of the living soluble the solute,
plasma membrane more rapidly it
1. Cells can recognize would enter the
one another root hair cells
 E. Gorter and F.
Grendel Jonathan Singer and
- Cellular Garth Nicolson
membranes have - FLUID-MOSAIC
a lipid bilayer MODEL
- Extracted lipid from - Bilayer of a fluid-
red blood cells mosaic model is in
and measured the a fluid state
amount of surface - Lipid molecules
area the lipid would move laterally in
cover when spread the plane of the
over the surface of membrane
water - Mosaic of
- Ratio of surface discontinuous
area of water particles that
covered by penetrate the lipid
extracted lipid 2:1 sheet
- Polar groups of (Made up of lipids
molecular layers and proteins)
or leaflets were - The cell
directed outwards membrane is
towards the DYNAMIC
aqueous - Proteins penetrate
environment the lipid bilayer
o Peripheral
Hugh Davson and Proteins
James Danielli o Integral Proteins
- Cellular
membranes were
not purely made Chemical Composition of
up of a lipid Membranes
bilayer Membrane Lipids
- Surface tension Membranes are made
can lower the pure up of Lipids and
lipid structure proteins
- Plasma membrane Held together by non-
was composed of covalent bonds
a lipid bilayer that Ratio of lipid to protein
as lined on both in membrane varies
its inner and outer and depends on the
surface by type of cell membrane
globular proteins (plasma or
- Protein-lined endoplasmic reticulum
pores or Golgi), type of
- WRONG MODEL organism (bacterium,
animal or plant), type of
 cell (cartilage, muscle Phosphatidyl groups
or liver) are small and
Ex: The inner hydrophilic and
mitochondrial together with the
membrane has a high negatively charged
ratio of protein/lipid in phosphate to which it is
comparison to the red attached, forms a
blood cell plasma highly water-soluble
membrane domain at one end of
- The myelin sheath the molecule: HEAD
acts as a primarily GROUP
as electrical Membrane fatty acid
insulation for the may be saturated,
nerve cell it monounsaturated,
encloses saturated or
Membranes are polyunsaturated
amphipathic can be
hydrophilic or Sphingolipids
hydrophobic Sphingosine backbone
1. Sphingolipids Sphingosine is linked to a
2. Phospholipds fatty acid
3. Cholesterol
Ceramide
Phosphoglycerides If phosphorylcholine
Contain a phosphate sphingomyelin
group Carbohydrate: Glycolipid
Glycerol backbone: Simple sugar: Ceramide
Phosphoglycerides - sialic acid, ganglioside
Diglycerides: two of Nervous system is rich in
the hydroxyl (OH) glycolipid
groups of glycerol Myelin sheath:
are esterified to the galactocerbroside
fatty acids and the
third OH is esterified Cholesterol
to a hydrophilic Most of the animal cells are
phosphate group and made up of cholesterol
two fatty acyl chain Plant cells contain
Phosphatidic acid cholesterol-like sterols
Phosphatidylcholine Made up of 4 different rings
(PC) rings of are flat and rigid
Phosphatidylethanolam
ine (PE)
Phosphatidylserine
(PS)
Phosphatidylinositol
(PI)
The Nature and Importance of the Structure and Functions of
Lipid Bilayer Membrane Proteins
Lipid composition can Membranes may contain
determine the physical state many types of proteins
of the membrane and Asymmetry is referred to as
influence the activity of the sidedness
particular membrane proteins
Membrane proteins also Integral proteins
provide the precursors for Penetrate the lipid bilayer
highly active chemical Transmembrane proteins
messengers that regulate Constitute 25-30 percent of all
cellular function encoded proteins and roughly
Lipid membrane is thought to 60 percent of all current drug
facilitate the regulated fusion targets
or budding of membranes Most are receptors that bind
Lipid bilayer maintains the to specific substances at the
proper internal composition membrane surface
of a cell Acts as channels,
Lipid bilayer is capable of transporters involved in the
self-assembly movement of ions, solutes
Ex: Liposomes across the membrane or
transfer of electrons
The Asymmetry of Membrane Amphipathic
Lipids
Van der Waals forces
Lipid digestive enzymes
hydrophobic seals it with
cannot penetrate the plasma the membrane
membrane and are only able
Protein is anchored to the
to digest lipids that reside in
bilayer
the outer leaflet of the bilayer
Globular proteins: These are
Membrane Carbohydrates the portions of the integral
Plasma membranes also membrane protein that project
into either the cytoplasm or
contain carbohydrates
the extracellular space
(sugars)
hydrophilic, low molecular
More than 90 percent of the
weight substrates, hormones
membranes carbohydrate and other proteins
is covalently linked to
proteins to form Distribution of Integral
glycoproteins Proteins: Freeze-Fracture
Addition of a carbohydrate: Analysis
Glycoslation Freeze fracture
Oligosaccharides replication
Used as a technique to
investigate the cell
membrane structure
 Membrane-associated or released from the
particles membrane

Structure and Properties of Lipid-Anchored Membrane

Integral Membrane Proteins proteins
Integral proteins have Outside the lipid bilayer on
hydrophobic transmembrane either the extracellular or
domains cytoplasmic surface
Covalently linked to a lipid
molecule that is situated
within the bilayer
GPI-anchored proteins
These group of proteins are
present on the cytoplasmic
side of the plasma
membrane and is anchored
to the membrane by one or
more long hydrocardbon
chains embedded in the
inner leaflet of the lipid
bilayer

Membrane Lipds and Membrane

Fluidity
Peripheral Membrane proteins
Outside of the lipid bilayer Membrane Fluidity
Associated with the surface of Physical state of the lipid
the membrane with depends on its viscosity or
noncovalent bonds fluidity
It is associated with the If temperature is warm: lipid
membrane with weak is relatively at a fluid state
electrostatic bonds (membrane is a two-
High concentration salt dimensional liquid crystal)
solutions weaken the Transition temperature:
electrostatic bonds change from the liquid
Ex of peripheral proteins: crystal state to the frozen
These are located on the crystalline gel change in
internal (cytosolic) surface of the temperature
the plasma membrane, where The shape of a saturated
they form a fibrillar network fatty acid: shape of a
that acts as a membrane flexible rod
skeleton Cis-unsaturated fatty acid:
Dynamic relationship with crooks in the chain
the membrane- being
recruited to the membrane
 The patches of
Importance of Membrane Fluidity cholesterol and the
Membrane fluidity provides a sphinglolipids are
perfect compromise between what are termed as
a rigid, ordered structure lipid rafts
Mobility can be absent and random sea of lipid
there will be fluidity molecules
Nonviscous liquid could not
be oriented
Fluidity is what lets Dynamic Nature of the Plasma
interactions take place Membrane
within the membrane
Fluidity also allows Diffusion of Membrane Proteins
membrane assembly after Cell Fusion

Maintaining membrane fluidity

Membranes of a cell should
remain fluid
Cells respond to changing
conditions by altering the
types of phospholoipids in
which they are made up of
Maintaining the fluidity can Control of Membrane Protein
be Mobility
1. Changing the
temperature
2. Desaturating single
bonds in fatty acly
chains to form
double bonds
(desaturates)
3. Reshuffling the
chains between Membrane Lipid Mobility
different
phospholipid
molecules
(phospholipases)

Liquid rafts
Formation of the
artificial lipid bilayer
The artificlal lipid
bilayer cholesterol
and sphingolipids
tend to self-asemble
Membrane Domains and Cell
Polarity

Integral Proteins of the

Erythrocyte Membrane

Movement of Substance Across

Cell Membrane

Membrane Potentials and Never

impulses

Erythrocyte Membrane Skeleton