SLE206 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Lipid Bilayer, Cell Membrane, Amphiphile

• School: Deakin University
• Department: Science, Engineering and Built Environment
• Course: SLE206
• Professor: Jessica Gibbons

Document Summary

To appreciate the main functions of the plasma membrane and intracellular membranes. All cells have a plasma membrane which acts as a selective barrier. Internal membranes occur on many organelles in eukaryotic cells (nucleus, mitochondria). Vesicles join the plasma membrane, constantly adding to the membrane. To understand the structure and characteristics of phospholipid bilayer. General structure of lipid molecules with hydrophilic head pointing outwards and hydrophobic tails pointing inwards creating a bilayer. Most abundant lipids are phospholipids in which the hydrophilic head group is linked to the rest of the molecule through a phosphate group. Phospholipid bilayers form compartments which are energetically favourable such as naturally forming a sphere so hydropho(cid:271)i(cid:272) areas are(cid:374)"t e(cid:454)posed. To be familiar with the structure and properties of different membrane phospholipids. Kink is due to unsaturated conformation and the double bond, essential to keep fluidity. If there was no kink lipids would solidify as they could closely stack together.