MEMBRANES

Functions of Membranes
Serves as Permeability barriers Sites of specific functions Regulates the transport of solute Detects and transmits electrical and chemical signals Mediates cell-to-cell communication

Features of the membranes

Defines the boundaries of the cell and its various internal compartments Double-layered Chemically-diversed

The Prominence of Membranes Around and Within Eukaryotic Cells

Cell Membrane structure

Development of the fluid mosaic model

Fluid mosaic model

Membrane lipids
Membranes contain several major classes of lipids (phospholipids, glycolipids, sterols) Fatty acids are essential to membrane structure and function Membrane asymmetry is due to unequal distribution of lipids between the two monolayers Most lipids are free to move laterally (membrane fluidity)

Movements of phospholipid molecules

Lipid mobility

Protein mobility

Effect of Unsaturated FAs on the packing of membrane lipids

Phosphatidylcholine, a Membrane lipid. - (a) with either two 18-carbon saturated fatty acids (stearate) or - (b) two 18-carbon fatty acids, one saturated (stearate) and the other with one cis double bond (oleate).

Sterols: Cholestrol (50% in animal CMs) and Phytosterols (plants) Sterols are prominent components

 Natural Unsaturated FAs cis forms Processed Unsat FAs trans forms Trans forms resembles sat FAs thus higher tendency to pack in assembly. It increases membrane transition T, decreases membrane fluidity.
Correlated to high blood cholesterol and increased risk of heart diseases.

Long-chained forms higher MP Highly-branched forms low MP

The Effect of Chain Length and the Number of Double Bonds on the Melting Point of FAs

Sterols: Membrane fluidity

Sterol intercalation in phospholipid bilayer Membrane - less fluid at higher T than it would otherwise be. Sterols effectively prevents the HC chains of phospholipids from fitting snugly together with decreased T (reduces membranes to gel). Cholesterol - acts as a fluidity buffer, moderating the: - Effect of high Tm : membrane fluidity - Effect of low Tm: membrane fluidity Other Eukaryotes and hopanoids (prokaryotes) presumably function in the same way. Sterols fills in spaces between hydrocarbon chains of membrane phospholipids, thereby plugging small channels that ions and small molecules might pass through thereby decreasing membrane permeability to ions and small polar molecules. In general, A lipid bilayer containing sterols is less permeable to ions and small molecules than is a bilayer lacking sterols.

Homeoviscous adaptation
Alter the lipid composition of membranes such as. In Poikilotherms (bacteria, fungi, protozoa, algae, plants, invertebrates, and snakes) compensates during cold climates to prevent gel state of membranes. Ex: Bacteria: 1) Enzyme activation that removes 2 terminal carbons from 18-carbon hydrocarbon tails. 2) Increased unsaturation of membrane fatty acids rather than in their length (Escherichia coli), a fall in temperature, triggers desaturase enzyme to introduce double bonds into the hydrocarbon chains of fatty acids; more unsaturated FAs incorporation into membrane phospholipids, they transition temperature of the membrane membrane fluidity remains In yeasts and plants

Determination of Membrane Transition Temperature by Differential Scanning Calorimetry

Membrane Proteins

Freeze-fracture analysis of membranes

Different types of membrane proteins

**GPI glycosylphosphatidylinositol

RBC membrane protein

Protein mobility

Transport mechanisms

Responses of plant and animal cells to changes in osmolarity

Facilitated diffusion
Diffusion of a substance across a membrane. It is "facilitated" because a transport protein in the membrane enhances the transport of the substance across the membrane

Comparison of uniport and cotransport

Model of Facilitated Diffusion

Types
1. Passive Transport
does not require an expenditure of metabolic energy, and materials flow down the concentration gradient Examples are diffusion, osmosis, and facilitated diffusion

2. Active Transport
uses energy (in the form of ATP), and materials flow against the concentration gradient.

Direct and indirect Active transport

Sodium-Potassium pump

A model Mechanism: Na-K pump

A model mechanism: Na-Glu symporter

Bulk Transport
1. Exocytosis 2. Endocytosis 2.1 Pinocytosis 2.2 Phagocytosis 2.3. Receptor-mediated

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Endocytosis and exocytosis

Endocytosis

Phagocytosis

ccsalibay@mail.dasma.dlsu.edu.ph

Receptor-mediated