Phospholipid Bilayers

Douglas Wilkin, Ph.D. Jean Brainard, Ph.D.

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AUTHORS Douglas Wilkin, Ph.D. Jean Brainard, Ph.D.

CK-12 Foundation is a non-prot organization with a mission to reduce the cost of textbook materials for the K-12 market both in the U.S. and worldwide. Using an open-content, web-based collaborative model termed the FlexBook, CK-12 intends to pioneer the generation and distribution of high-quality educational content that will serve both as core text as well as provide an adaptive environment for learning, powered through the FlexBook Platform. Copyright 2013 CK-12 Foundation, www.ck12.org The names CK-12 and CK12 and associated logos and the terms FlexBook and FlexBook Platform (collectively CK-12 Marks) are trademarks and service marks of CK-12 Foundation and are protected by federal, state, and international laws. Any form of reproduction of this book in any format or medium, in whole or in sections must include the referral attribution link http://www.ck12.org/saythanks (placed in a visible location) in addition to the following terms. Except as otherwise noted, all CK-12 Content (including CK-12 Curriculum Material) is made available to Users in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution/NonCommercial/Share Alike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-NC-SA) License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/), as amended and updated by Creative Commons from time to time (the CC License), which is incorporated herein by this reference. Complete terms can be found at http://www.ck12.org/terms. Printed: August 19, 2013

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Concept 1. Phospholipid Bilayers

C ONCEPT

Phospholipid Bilayers

Describe the structure and function of the plasma membrane.

All cells have a plasma membrane. This membrane surrounds the cell. So what is its role? Can molecules enter and leave the cell? Yes. Can anything or everything enter or leave? No. So, what determines what can go in or out? Is it the nucleus? The DNA? Or the plasma membrane?
The Plasma Membrane

The plasma membrane (also known as the cell membrane) forms a barrier between the cytoplasm inside the cell and the environment outside the cell. It protects and supports the cell and also controls everything that enters and leaves the cell. It allows only certain substances to pass through, while keeping others in or out. The ability to allow only certain molecules in or out of the cell is referred to as selective permeability or semipermeability. To understand how the plasma membrane controls what crosses into or out of the cell, you need to know its composition. The plasma membrane is discussed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aSfoB8Cmic (6:16).
A Phospholipid Bilayer

The plasma membrane is composed mainly of phospholipids, which consist of fatty acids and alcohol. The phospholipids in the plasma membrane are arranged in two layers, called a phospholipid bilayer. As shown in Figure 1.1, each phospholipid molecule has a head and two tails. The head loves water (hydrophilic) and the tails hate water (hydrophobic). The water-hating tails are on the interior of the membrane, whereas the water-loving heads point outwards, toward either the cytoplasm or the uid that surrounds the cell. Molecules that are hydrophobic can easily pass through the plasma membrane, if they are small enough, because they are water-hating like the interior of the membrane. Molecules that are hydrophilic, on the other hand, cannot pass through the plasma membraneat least not without helpbecause they are water-loving like the exterior of the membrane. See Insights into cell membranes via dish detergent at http://ed.ted.com/lessons/insights-into-cell-membranes-via-d ish-detergent-ethan-perlstein for additional information on the cell membrane. 1

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FIGURE 1.1
Phospholipid Bilayer. The phospholipid bilayer consists of two layers of phospholipids, with a hydrophobic, or water-hating, interior and a hydrophilic, or water-loving, exterior. The hydrophilic (polar) head group and hydrophobic tails (fatty acid chains) are depicted in the single phospholipid molecule. The polar head group and fatty acid chains are attached by a 3-carbon glycerol unit.

Summary

The plasma membrane forms a barrier between the cytoplasm and the environment outside the cell. The plasma membrane has selective permeability. The plasma membrane is primarily composed of phospholipids arranged in a bilayer, with the hydrophobic tails on the interior of the membrane, and the hydrophilic heads pointing outwards.

Practice

Use these resources to answer the questions that follow. Construction of the Cell Membrane at http://www.wisc-online.com/Objects/ViewObject.aspx?ID=AP1101 . 2

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Concept 1. Phospholipid Bilayers

1. What are the two main components of the cell membrane? 2. Describe the types of proteins that live in the cell membrane. 3. Describe the orientation of the phospholipid molecule in the cell membrane. Cell Membranes at http://johnkyrk.com/cellmembrane.html. 1. 2. 3. 4. Are all cells surrounded by a membrane? Why are phospholipids considered an amphipathic molecule? What is a glycolipid? Describe the role of cholesterol in the cell membrane.

http://www.hippocampus.org/Biology Non-Majors Biology Search: Plasma Membrane Structure 1. 2. 3. 4. What are the roles of the plasma membrane? What is the difference between hydrophilic and hydrophobic? What are the functions of proteins associated with the cell membrane? Why is the structure of the cell membrane described as "uid mosaic"?

Review

1. Describe the role of the plasma membrane. 2. Describe the composition of the plasma membrane. 3. Explain why hydrophobic (water-hating) molecules can easily cross the plasma membrane, while hydrophilic (water-loving) molecules cannot.

References
1. LadyofHats for the CK-12 Foundation. . CC-BY-NC-SA 3.0