9/14/2010

Principles of
General Biology
The Cell Membrane

Cell Structure
• Plasma membrane
• Cytoplasm
• Nucleus or nucleoid
▫ contains DNA

Membrane functions
• Physical isolation
• Regulation and exchange with the environment
▫ Membrane is semipermeable
• Sensitivity to the environment
• Structural support

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The Cell Membrane

• Phospholipid bilayer
• Proteins
▫ peripheral- inner or outer membrane surface
▫ integral- imbedded in bilayer
• Glycocalyx
▫ glycolipids and glycoproteins on the cell surface

The Fluid Mosaic Model

• Some proteins move laterally through the
membrane (ping-pong balls)
• Experiment fusing a mouse cell and a human
cell
• Grad school experiment

Membrane Proteins
 Passive transporters (no energy required)
 channels
○ allow water or solutes to move into or out of the cell
 cotransporter
○ Chloride and bicarbonate move across a membrane
at the same time but in opposite directions
 ion-selective channels
○ open or close in response to a stimulus to let ions
pass

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Membrane Proteins
• Active transporters (energy required)
▫ move molecules across the membrane against a
concentration gradient
• Receptors
▫ bind extracellular substances that can trigger
change in cell activities
• Recognition proteins
▫ identity tags for each species- identify self vs.
nonself

Membrane Proteins
• Adhesion proteins
▫ helps cells adhere to each other or to extracellular
proteins
• Communication proteins
▫ create gaps that allow cytoplasm to flow freely
from one cell to another
• Enzymes

Selective Permeability
• The lipids and proteins of the cell membrane
control which substances can cross the
membrane, when they can cross, and how much
can cross

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Why Must Substances

Cross a Cell Membrane?
• Metabolism requires certain substances for
reactions to occur
▫ raw materials
• Removal of wastes
• Maintain cell volume
• Maintain pH

Membrane Crossing
• Phospholipid bilayer
▫ nonpolar
▫ small nonpolar molecules such as O2 and CO2 can
pass through the lipids
▫ although water is polar some can slip through
gaps in the phosholipid bilayer
 aquaporins let more through
▫ impermeable to ions and large polar molecules
 transport proteins help move them through

Diffusion
• Passive diffusion
▫ The movement of molecules from an area of
higher concentration to an area of lesser
concentration along a concentration gradient

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Diffusion Rates
• Steepness of concentration gradient
• Heat
• Smaller molecules diffuse faster than larger
molecules
• Electric gradient
▫ a difference in electric charge
• Pressure gradient

Passive Transport or
Facilitated Diffusion
• A concentration gradient or an electric gradient
drives diffusion of a substance across a cell
membrane through a transport protein
▫ a membrane protein is required
▫ energy is NOT required
▫ some are open channels, others open and close as
needed and are called gated channels

Active Transport
• Membrane proteins move molecules across the
membrane against a concentration gradient
▫ a membrane protein is required
▫ energy IS required
▫ example calcium pumps, sodium/potassium
pumps

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Osmosis
• The diffusion of water across a semipermeable
membrane
• Terminology
▫ solvent
▫ solute
• Effects of Tonicity
▫ Isotonic, hypotonic, hypertonic

Membrane Traffic to
and from the Cell Surface
• The lipid bilayer self-seals forming vesicles
• Endocytosis
▫ pinocytosis
▫ phagocytosis- pseudopods engulf object
▫ receptor-mediated endocytosis
• Exocytosis

Membrane Cycling
• Exocytosis and endocytosis are continuously
replacing and withdrawing patches of plasma
membrane
▫ balanced so the total surface area of the plasma
membrane is maintained