Cell membrane

Transport of Substances Through

the Cell Membrane
Lecture-I
The lipid bilayer
 Lipid bilayer
• Made of phospholipids
• Hydrophilic part of the molecule. Polar
– Outside surface
• Hydrophobic part molecule. Non- polar
– Inside the bilayer
• Found in cell- and organelle- membranes
 Structure- Function relationship

– Lipid bilayer:
• Is selectively permeable
• Will allow only certain substances to pass through this
membrane. e.g. lipid soluble, non polar substances
e.g O2, CO2.
• Will not allow water soluble polar substances. E.g. Na+,
Cl-, K+, HCO3-, Mg+,
– Proteins with in the membrane:
• Functions as channels and carriers to transport the
substances that can not pass through the membrane.
– Permeability also depends on size of the particle.
 Transport across Cell membrane
• Cell membrane;
Characteristics:
– Selectively
permeable
 Transport mechanisms
Channels = protein structures, pores
– Cross the membrane (trans-membrane
proteins)
– Form a link between ECF and ICF
• Carriers proteins
 The protein channels
• The protein channels are distinguished by
two important characteristics:
(1) Selectively permeable to certain
substances because of Shape or
charge
(2) Many of the channels can be opened
or closed by gates
 Some important physiological
processes:
• Diffusion
• Osmosis
 Diffusion
• All molecules and ions in the body fluids,
including water molecules and dissolved
substances, are in constant motion
• Movement of a substance across a
membrane as a result of random molecular
motion
• Tendency to move from higher
concentration to lower concentration
gradient.
• Gradients
– Concentration
– Electrical
 Examples of diffusion
• Perfume
• Sugar solution
 Diffusion
• Diffusion across the cell membrane:
– Simple diffusion
– Facilitated diffusion
 Simple diffusion: Definition

• Kinetic movement of
molecules or ions occurs
through a membrane or
membrane pores.
• No carrier proteins
required.
 Facilitated diffusion

• Movement of particles from higher to lower

concentration
• Requires interaction of a carrier protein.
• The carrier protein aids passage of the
molecules or ions through the membrane
by binding chemically with them and
shuttling them through the membrane in
this form.
Diffusion
 Factors affecting diffusion across a
membrane
• Concentration
gradient across the
membrane
– Concentration
gradient= C1- C2.
C1 C2
– Rate of diffusion α
concentration gradient
across the membrane.
– Increase concentration
gradient will increase
the rate of diffusion.
 Factors affecting diffusion across a
membrane
• Surface area of the membrane
– Rate of diffusion α Surface area of membrane
across which diffusion is taking place.
 Factors affecting diffusion across a
membrane
• Solubility in the membrane or permeability.
– E.g Lipid soluble Vs. Lipid in-soluble substances:
– Lipid soluble substances can diffuse easily through
the cell membrane
– Lipid insoluble substances can’t diffuse easily
through the membrane.
Conclusion: Lipid solubility is important
factor in determining diffusion through
the cell membrane.
 Factors affecting diffusion across a
membrane
• Thickness of the
membrane
– Rate of diffusion α 1/
Thickness
– Increased thickness of
the membrane will
decrease the rate of
diffusion.
 Factors affecting diffusion across a
membrane
• Molecular weight
– Rate of diffusion α 1/ MW of a particle.
– E.g. MW of glucose > Na , so rate of diffusion
of glucose is less than Na across a
membrane.
 Factors affecting diffusion across a
membrane
• Rate of diffusion =
(ΔP ×SOL × SA)/ T × √MW
– ΔP : Concentration gradient across the
membrane..
– SA : Surface area of the membrane..
– SOL : Solubility in the membrane or permeability.
– T : Thickness of the membrane.
– MW : Molecular weight
Factors affecting diffusion across a
membrane
– P: Concentration gradient across the membrane.
The greater the concentration gradient, the greater
the rate of diffusion.
– SA : Surface area of the membrane. The greater the
surface area, the greater the rate of diffusion.
– SOL : Solubility in the membrane or permeability.
The more soluble the substance, the faster it will
diffuse. Generally CO2 diffuses faster across
membranes than °2 because CO2 exhibits greater
solubility.
– T : Thickness of the membrane. The thicker the
membrane, the slower the rate of diffusion,
– MW : Molecular weight
 Osmosis
• Movement of water across a semi-permeable
membrane.
• Water will diffuse from a region of higher
water concentration to a region of lower
water concentration.
• The water concentration of a solution is
determined by the concentration of solute.
• The greater the solute concentration, the
lower the water concentration.
Osmosis
 For Osmosis to occur
• There should be :
– Membrane : Semi-permeable i.e. it will not
allow solute particles to move.
– Difference in concentration of water( Solutes)
• So movement of water will occur from
higher concentration of water to lower
concentration of water.
 Osmosis illustrated

H2O
H2O
H2O
H2O H2O
H2O
H2O
H2O
H2O H2O
H2O H2O
H2O
H2O

H2O
 Osmosis illustrated

H2O
H2O
H2O
H2O H2O
H2O
H2O
H2O
H2O H2O
H2O H2O
H2O
H2O

H2O
Osmotic pressure
 Osmosis (summary)
• When a substance is dissolved in water, the
concentration of water molecules in the solution
is less than that in pure water, since the addition
of solute to water results in a solution that
occupies a greater volume than does the water
alone. If the solution is placed on one side of a
membrane that is permeable to water but not to
the solute and an equal volume of water is
placed on the other, water molecules diffuse
down their concentration gradient into the
solution . This process of the diffusion of solvent
molecules into a region in which there is a higher
concentration of a solute to which the
membrane is impermeable—is called osmosis.
 Osmosis ( Summary)
• The tendency for movement of solvent
molecules to a region of greater solute
concentration can be prevented by
applying pressure to the more
concentrated solution. The pressure
necessary to prevent solvent migration is
the osmotic pressure of the solution.
 Osmosis.....
• Depends on number of particles, not size
of particles
• Osmoles
• Miliosmols
• Osmolarity
• Osmolality
 Definitions
• An osmole is 1 gram molecular weight of un-
dissociated particles
– eg 180 gms of glucose = 1 osmole
– But if the compound dissociates it gives more particles
and a greater osmotic effect
– E.g. 58.5 gm of NaCl = 1 gram mw = 2 osmoles
• The osmolarity is the number of osmoles per liter
of solution—eg,
• Osmolality is the number of osmoles per kilogram
of solvent.
• Osmolality = osmoles per kg of solvent
• Osmolarity = osmoles per litre of solution
 Definitions
• Tonicity is used to describe the osmolality
of a solution relative to plasma.
• Isotonic Solutions that have the same
osmolality as plasma
• Hypertonic; those with greater osmolality
• Hypotonic: those with lesser osmolality
are
 Review
• Cell membrane: characteristics
• Transport across the cell membrane
• Diffusion
• Osmosis
 Tomorrow
Transport across cell membrane
• Diffusion
– Simple
– Facilitated
• Protein medicated trasport
– Active
– Passive
• Pinocytosis