Biological membranes

Membranes separate cells and organelles

Membranes consist of mainly lipid bilayers and

proteins

Membranes are dynamic

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Why do cells need membranes?

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Requirements for a biological membrane
1. Permeability barrier that
separates inside from
outside

2. Flexible (fluid) so that a

cell can respond to its
environment Growth,
movement,
change of shape

3 Selectively permeable to
3.
allow molecule exchange
with the environment

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Cell membrane types:
External(plasma) membrane = cell membrane
Internal membranes = organelle
g membranes
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 How is selective
membrane permeability achieved?

Require
q pprotein-mediated
transport across the lipid
bilayer
 Biomembrane Structure

Fluid mosaic model of membrane structure

A. Lipids: barrier function
Membrane lipids are amphipathic
Lipids form bilayers in aqueous solutions
Classes of membrane lipids: phosphoglycerides,
sphingolipids, cholesterol

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Fats Are Made By Linking Fatty Acid Chains to
Glycerol,
y , a Three Carbon Molecule

A fatty acid
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 Major phospholipids in animal cell membranes

Phosphoglycerides (PE, PS and PC) consist of a three-carbon glycerol backbone

linked to:
Phosphate-head group
Two long chain fatty acids
steroid is a characterized by a carbon skeleton with four fused rings, generally arranged in a 6-6-6-5 fashion. Steroids vary by the
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 Structure of Lipid Molecule
Lipid molecule contains both hydrophilic
and hydrophobic regions
regions.
Polar headgroup : hydrophilic (i.e. water-loving)
O CH2 CH2 N+(CH3)3

O P=O

O
H H
CH2
H C C
O
O polar
C=O
O=C
CH2 H2C
H2C
CH2 non-polar
CH2 H2C
CH2
H2C
CH2 H2C
CH2
H2C
CH2 H2C
H2C CH
CH2
CH
H2C
CH2 H2C
CH2
H2C
CH2 H2C
CH2
H2C
CH3 H2C
CH2
H2C
CH3
 Phospholipids are Building Blocks of Cellular Membranes

The hydrophilic head group and hydrophobic tails are the keys to phospholipid
function.

Phospholipids have a molecular Jekyll and Hyde split personality.

Hydrophilic Head Group And Hydrophobic Tails Are The Keys To
Phospholipid Function
 How do lipids behave in an aqueous
environment?

Lipid bilayer

Lipids aggregate to hide their hydrophobic tail inside and

expose hydrophilic head to the outside (energetically
favorable!)
 Do all lipids form bilayers in aqueous
environments?

The structure of a lipid

p determines its p
packaging
g g in an aqueous
q
environment
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Phospholipids Form Double-Layered Biological Membranes
 Definition fluid mosaic?

fluid = movement occurs

mosaic = small pieces fitted together

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Fluid Mosaic model of a biological membrane

Text
 Membrane proteins can be glycosylated

Plasma membrane proteins (and lipids) are often decorated with

carbohydrates
b h d (
(sugars)
) on the
h exoplasmic
l i surface
f
Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching
Diffusion coefficient, D, of a
rigid spherical molecule
molec le
D=kT/6r
Where is viscosity
r is radius of sphere
T is absolute temperature
k is Boltzman constant
Lateral diffusion of lipids is much more rapid than
transverse diffusion (flip-flop).
Lipids are distributed asymmetrically in a membrane

PC, SM found outer (exoplasmic) leaflet

PC
PE, PS found inner (cytosolic) leaflet
(Flip-flop of lipids requires the help of flippases. Flippases control the distribution of
lipids
p in the bilayer
y and are critical for lipid
p asymmetry.)
y y)

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 What regulates membrane fluidity?

Factors that affect lipid packing ratio:

1. length of the hydrocarbon tail

lipids with shorter hydrocarbon chain interact less tightly
with their neighbors
g

2. degree of saturation of the hydrocarbon chain

-double
double bonds in lipid tails add kinks
kinks , prevent tight packaging
3. Steroids of membrane
-
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-Paracrystalline materials are defined as having short and medium
range ordering
d i in i their
th i lattice
l tti but
b t lacking
l ki long
l range order
d
-Above certain temperature lipid can undergo rapid motion and
paracrystalline changes to fluid.
fluid.- Transition temperature
(depends on lipid composition)

Steroids prevents highly ordered packing and increases

-Steroids
membrane fluidity
 What creates the membrane potential?

The combination of the Na+K+ATPase pump and

the p
potassium leak channels cause a stable
imbalance of Na+ and K+ ions across the
membrane.
 Membrane potential

=
Electrical charge difference across plasma membrane
Cytoplasmic side of membrane negative, fluid outside membrane is positive
Since opposite charges tend to move toward each other, a membrane stores energy
by holding opposite charges apart (like a battery)
 Tracing the origin of the energy of the
membrane
b potential:
t ti l
Solar energy
converted to sugar by plants
converted byy glycolysis
g y y to ATP
converted to concentration gradient by
NaK ATPase ((sodium/potassium
p ppump)
p)
converted to voltage by passive K+ transport
((channels)) across a selectivelyy permeable
p cell
membrane

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Gt = RT ln (C2 /C1)
For a tenfold gradient, the cost of moving 1 mol of an uncharged solute across the
membrane
b separating
ti two
t compartments
t t att 25 C is
i therefore
th f

Gt = (8.315 J/mol .K)(298 K)(ln 10/1) = 5,705 J/mol

or 5.7 kJ/mol.. The equation holds for all uncharged solutes.
 When the solute is an ion, its movement without an
accompanying
p y g counterion results in the endergonic g
separation of positive and negative charges. The energetic
cost of moving an ion therefore depends on the difference
of electrical potential across the membrane as well as the
diff
difference i the
in th chemical
h i l concentrations
t ti (th t is,
(that i the
th
electrochemical potential):

Gt = RT lln (C2/Cl) + Zf
G
where Z is the charge on the ion, F is the Faraday constant
(96,480 J/V .mol), and is the transmembrane electrical
potential
t ti l (in
(i volts).
lt ) Eukaryotic
E k ti celis
li typically
t i ll have
h
electrical potentials across their plasma membranes of the
order of 0.05 to 0.1 V, so the second term of the equation
can be a significant contribution to the total free-energy
change for transporting an ion. Most cells maintain ion
gradients larger than tenfold across their plasma or
intracellular membranes,, and for manyy cells and tissues,,
active transport is therefore a major energy-consuming
process.