Chapter 4 - Lecture Notes

4.1 Fluid mosaic membranes • at low temperatures, cholesterol increases

Fluid mosaic model the fluidity of the membrane preventing it
• ‘fluid’ refers to the movement of from being too rigid, this is because it
phospholipids while ‘mosaic’ refers to the prevents close packing of phospholipid tails
scattered proteins (and glycoproteins) in the • at high temperatures, cholesterol
phospholipid bilayer decreases the fluidity of membrane and
stabilizes the cell
1) Phospholipids
Glycolipids and glycoproteins
Lipid and protein molecules on the outer
surfaces of cell membrane have
carbohydrate chains attached to them
forming glycolipids and glycoproteins

These carbohydrate chains projecting out like

antennae:
• stabilize the membrane structure by
forming hydrogen bonds with water
molecules surrounding the cell
• glycocalyx – sugary cell coating formed by
carbohydrate chains
• act as receptor molecules:
➢ signaling receptors – recognize
• phospholipids are arranged so that messenger molecules like hormones
hydrophobic, nonpolar tails do not face and neurotransmitters
water. Water is on both the intracellular and ➢ endocytosis – bind to molecule to be
extracellular sides engulfed by membrane
• therefore, tails point inwards, and • act as cell markers/antigens allowing cell-
hydrophilic heads face the aqueous medium cell recognition

4) Proteins

Membrane fluidity
Membrane fluidity refers to the viscosity of • proteins that are found • can be present inside or
the lipid bilayer of a cell membrane. embedded within the outside of the cell
Membrane fluidity is affected by: membrane membrane i.e.,
intracellular, and
• may be found in inner extracellular
1) tail length – longer the tail, the less fluid layer, outer layer or
the membrane spanning the whole •extracellular peripheral
2) saturation of fatty acid – the more membrane (these are proteins – communication,
unsaturated they are, the more fluid the transmembrane proteins) receptors, and recognition
membrane. This is as unsaturated fatty acid
• helps in movement in • intracellular peripheral
tails are bent and fit together more loosely and out of cell intracellular proteins- structural
3) cholesterol peripheral proteins- support, attached to the
• regulates the fluidity of membrane structural support, cytoskeleton of the cell
attached to the
cytoskeleton of the cell
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 Chapter 4 - Lecture Notes

4.1 Function of transmembrane proteins a) If the signaling molecules are hydrophobic

• act as gateways and can transform, (e.g., steroid hormones such as estrogen)
helping in facilitated diffusion and active • they can diffuse directly across the cell
transpor membrane and bind to receptors in the
cytoplasm or nucleus.
b) If the signaling molecule is water-soluble
1. signal arrives at protein receptor in cell
membrane
2. the receptor’s shape is complementary to
the ligand
3. the signal brings about a change in the
receptor’s shape
4. changing the shape of the receptor allows
it to interact with the next component of
the pathway so the message gets
Channel proteins transmitted
• do not require energy 5. binding triggers/stimulates reactions
• transport substances through within the cell
membrane passively, along their 6. cell signaling results in a response which
concentration gradient may be intracellular or extracellular
• used for both active transport and
facilitated diffusion

Carrier proteins
• require energy
• go against the concentration gradient
• take substances from outside and
pumps it inside or vice versa
• used for active transport
4.2 Movement of substances into and out
Cell surface receptors of cells
• present in membranes and binds with a) Diffusion
particular substances ➢ Net movement of molecules or ions from a
• used for signaling, endocytosis, cell region of higher concentration to a region
adhesion, cell markers of lower concentration down a gradient, as
the result of the random movement of
Cell surface antigen particles.
• acts as cell identifying markers • passive process
• each type of cell has its own antigen • molecules tend to reach an equilibrium situation
• this enables cells to recognize other
cells and behave in an organized way Factors affecting diffusion
• as steepness of gradient increases, diffusion
Cell signaling • Increases
• cells detect signals with cell receptors, • as temperature increases, diffusion increases
i.e., glycoproteins and glycolipids, • as surface area increases, diffusion increases
present on their membrane • as distance increases, diffusion decreases
• the signaling molecule binds to the • smaller and non-polar molecules like fats diffuse
receptor as their shapes are much easily across the cell surface membrane
complementary to each other as they’re soluble in phospholipid tails
• this creates a chain of reactions in the
cell, leading to a response b) Facilitated diffusion
> Diffusion of a substance through transport
proteins in a cell surface membrane

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 Chapter 4 - Lecture Notes

• the proteins provide hydrophilic areas that • energy is used to make the channel/carrier
allow the molecules or ions to pass through the proteins change shape, transferring
membrane which would otherwise be less molecules/ions across the membrane in the
permeable to them process

Channel proteins Sodium/Potassium pump

• allow charged substances, usually ions to
diffuse
• can move to open or close the pore, like a gate
controlling ion exchange

Carrier proteins
• flip between 2 shapes, as a result, the binding
site opens alternatively to each side

c) Osmosis
➢ Net movement of water molecules from a
region of higher water potential to a region
of lower water potential through a partially
permeable membrane as a result of their
random motion.
Water potential e) Bulk transport
➢ Tendency of water to move out of solution. > A type of active transport where large molecules
• water always moves down a water are transported across the cell surface membrane,
potential gradient, this happens until water using energy from ATP.
potential is the same throughout the
solution
• denoted by psi (Ѱ)
• water potential becomes negative if the
solute concentration is very high

d) Active transport 1) Endocytosis

➢ Movement of molecules or ions through > Bulk movement of liquids (pinocytosis) or solids
transport proteins, across a cell (phagocytosis) into a cell by the infolding of the cell
membrane, against their concentration membrane to form vesicles containing the
gradient, using energy from ATP. substance.
• achieved by carrier and channel proteins 2) Exocytosis
• these are specific to the type of molecule they’re > Bulk movement of liquids or solids out of a cell
transporting by the fusion of vesicles containing the substance
• requires energy; supplied by ATP with the cell surface membrane

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