PLASMA MEMBRANE Edge of life; the boundary that separates the living cell from its surroundings Only

8 nm thick Exhibits selective permeability o Allows some substances to cross more easily than the others o The ability of the cell to discriminate in its chemical exchanges with its environment is fundamental to life o The molecular make up of each membrane allows compartmentalized specialization in cells

Cellular membranes are fluid mosaics of lipids and proteins A phospholipid is an amphipathic molecule, meaning it has both a hydrophilic region and a hydrophobic region The Fluid Mosaic Model o Two Dutch scientists, E. Gorter and F. Grendel, reasoned that the cell membrane must be a phospholipid bilayer o S. J. Singer and G. Nicolson proposed that membrane proteins are dispersed, individually inserted into the phospholipid bilayer with their hydrophilic regions protruding. Research method Application: A cell membrane can be split into its two layers revealing the ultrastructure of the membranes interior Technique: A cell is frozen and fractured with a knife. The fracture plane follows the hydrophobic interior of the membrane into 2 separated layers. The membrane proteins go wholly with one of the layers o Fluidity of membranes Held together by hydrophobic interactions Most of the lipids and some of the proteins can shift laterally Adjacent phospholipids switch positions 107 times per seconds It is rare for the phospholipid molecule to flip flop transversely (once a month) Unsaturated vs. saturated fatty acid tails Unsaturated hydrocarbon tails remain fluid even in lower temperatures compared to saturated hydrocarbon tails Cholesterol as temperature buffers in animal cells At higher temperature (37oC), cholesterol makes the membrane led fluid by restraining phospholipid movement Hinders close packing of phospholipids o Lowers the temperature required for the membrane to solidify o Membrane proteins and their functions A membrane is a collage of different proteins embedded in a fluid matrix of the lipid bilayer Integral proteins Transmembrane proteins Peripheral proteins Functions Transport Enzymatic activity Signal transduction Cell to cell recognition Intercellular joining Attachment to the cytoskeleton

The Permeability of the phospholipid bilayer Non polar molecules such as hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide, oxygen, are hydrophobic and can therefore dissolve in the lipid bilayer of the membrane and cross it easily, without the aid of membrane proteins Small polar molecules such as glucose and other sugars pass only slowly, as well as water A charged atom or molecule, does not cross very easily

Passive Transport Name Diffusion Facilitated transport 1. Direction Toward lower concentration Toward lower concentration Requirement Concentration gradient Channels or carriers and concentration gradient Examples Lipid- soluble molecules, water and gases Some sugars and amino acids

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Does not require the use of chemical energy or ATP. Diffusion- movement of molecules from a higher to a lower concentration- that is, down their concentration gradient- until equilibrium is achieved and they are distributed equally. A solution contains both a solute, usually solid, and a solvent, usually a liquid. Once the solute and solvent are evenly distributed, they continue to move about, but there is no net movement of either one in any direction. o Gases can diffuse through the lipid bilayer; this is the mechanism by which oxygen enters cells and carbon dioxide exits cells. o After inhalation (breathing in), the concentration of oxygen in the alveoli is higher than that in the blood, therefore oxygen diffuses into the blood. Osmosis- diffusion of water across a differentially permeable membrane due to concentration differences is called osmosis. Osmotic pressure is the pressure that develops in a system due to osmosis. The greater the possible osmotic pressure, the more likely it is that water will diffuse in that direction. Due to osmotic pressure, water is absorbed by the kidneys and taken up by capillaries from tissue fluid. o Isotonic solution- the solute concentration and water concentration both inside and outside the cell are equal, and therefore there is no net gain or loss of water. The prefix iso means the same as and the term tonicity refers to the strength of the solution. o Hypotonic solution- solutions that cause cells to swell or even to burst due to an intake of water. The prefix hypo means less than and refers to a solution with lower concentration of solute than inside the cell; the net movement of water is from the outside to the inside of the cell. Any concentration of a salt solution lower than 0.9% is hypotonic to red blood cells. Animal cells placed in such a solution expand and sometimes burst due to the buildup of pressure. The term lysis is used to refer to disrupted cels; hemolysis then, is disrupted red blood cells. The swelling of a plant cell in a hypotonic solution creates turgor pressure. When a plant cell is placed in a hypotonic solution, we observe expansion of the cytoplasm because the large central vacuole gains water and the plasma membrane pushes against the rigid cell wall. The plant cell does not burst because the cell wall does not give away. Turgor pressure in plant cells is important to the maintenance of the plants erect position. If you forget t water your plants, they wilt due to decreased turgor pressure. o Hypertonic solution- solutions that cause cell to shrink or shrivel due to loss of water are said to be hypertonic. The prefix hyper means more than and refers to a solution with a higher percentage of solute than the cell. The ne movement of water is from the inside to the outside of the cell. Any solution with a concentration higher than 0.9% sodium chloride is hypertonic to red blood cells. If animal cells are placed in this solution, they shrink. Crenation refers to RBCs in this condition. Meats are sometimes preserved by salting them. The bacteria are not killed by the salut but by the lack of water in the meat. Whe a plant cell is placed in a hypertonic solution, the plasma membrane pulls away from the cell wall as the large central vacuole loses water. Plasmolysis is the shrinking of the cytoplasm due to osmosis. Facilitated transport- a carrier protein speeds the rate at which the solute crosses the plasma membrane toward a lower concentration. The carrier protein undergoes a change in shape as it moves a solute across the membrane. It does not require an expenditure of energy because the molecules are moving down their concentration gradient in the same direction they tend to move anyway.

Active Transport Name Active transport Exocytosis Endocytosis Direction Toward higher concentration Toward outside of the cell Toward inside of the cell Requirement Carrier plus energy Vesicle fuses with the plasma membrane Vesicle formation Examples Sugars, amino acids and ions macromolecules macromolecules

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Active transport- molecules or ions move through the plasma membrane, accumulating either inside or outside the cell. Both carrier proteins and an expenditure of energy are needed to transport molecules against their concentration gradient. Chemical energy in the form of ATP is required for the carrier to combine with the substance to be transported. o Pumps- proteins involved in active transport. Just as water pump uses energy to move water against the force of gravity, proteins use energy to move a substance against its concentration gradient. Sodium- potassium pump- the same carrier protein transports sodium ions to the outside of the cell and the potassium ions to the inside of the cell because it undergoes an ATP- dependent change in shape. Three sodium ions are carried outward for every 2 potassium ions carried inward; therefore, the inside of the cell is negatively charged compared to the outside. This pump is activein animal cells, especially nerve and muscle cells. Membrane- assisted transport- for macromolecules that are too large to be transported by carrier proteins. They are transported into and out of the cell by vesicle formation so that they do not mix up with those in the cytoplasm. a. Exocytosis- vesicles fuse with the plasma membrane as secretion occurs. These vesicles are often produced by the Golgi apparatus and contain proteins. During exocytosis, the membrane of the vesicle becomes a part of the plasma membrane. For this reason, exocytosis occurs automatically during cell growth. The proteins released from the vesicle adhere to the cell surface or become incorporated in an extracellular matrix. Some diffuse into tissue fluid where they nourish or signal other cells. In humans, molecules transported out of the cell by exocytosis include digestive enzymes, such as those produced by the pancreatic cells, and hormones. In these cells, secreory vesicles accumulate near the plasma membrane. These vesicles release their contents only when the cell is stimulated by a signal received at the plasma membrane. Vesicles fuse with the plasma membrane only when it is appropriate to the needs of the body. b. Endocytosis- cells take in substances by vesicle formation. A portion of the plasma membrane invaginates to envelope the substance, and then the membrane pinches to form an intracellular vesicle. i. Phagocytosis- when the material taken in by endocytosis is large, such as a food particle or another cell. It is common in unicellular organisms such as amoebas and also occurs in humans. Certain types of WBCs are able to engulf debris such as worn- out RBCs or bacteria. When an endocytic vesicle fuses with a lysosome, digestion occurs. ii. Pinocytosis- occurs when the vesicles form around a liquid or around very small particles. Blood cells, cells that line the kidney tubules or the intestinal wall, and plant root cells use pinocytosis to ingest substances. An electron microscope must be used to observe pinocytic vesicles, which are no larger than 0.1- 0.2 m. Still, pinocytosis involves a significant amount of plasma membrane brcause it occurs continuously. The loss of plasma membrane due to pinocytosis is balanced by the occurrence of exocytosis, however. iii. Receptor- mediated Endocytosis- a form of pinocytosis that is quite specific because it uses receptor protein shaped in such a way that a specific molecule such as vitamin, peptide hormone, or lipoprotein can bind to it. A coated pit contains the receptors for these substances and is composed of a layer proein on the cytoplasmic side of the pit. Once formed, the vesicle is uncoated and may fuse with a lysosome. It is selective and more efficient than ordinary pinocytosis. It is involved in uptake and also in the transfer and exchange of substances between cells. Such exchange takes place when substances move from maternal blood into fetal blood at the placenta for example.