BIOL 1010 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Unsaturated Hydrocarbon, Lipid Bilayer, Alkane
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Membrane Structure and Function
September 18, 2014
The plasma membrane is a boundary that separates the living cell from its surroundings. A
membrane is only 8nm thick and exhibits selective permeability.
Composition
A plasma membrane is composed of:
1. Lipids
• Phospholipids:
o The ability of phospholipids to form membranes is inherent in their
molecular structure
o Phospholipids are amphipathic (has both a hydrophilic and
hydrophobic region)
o Due to these properties phospholipids will form a bilayer in water
o Unsaturated hydrocarbon tails increase fluidity while saturated
hydrocarbon tails decrease the fluidity of the membrane
o Phospholipid = Glycerol + 2 Fatty Acids + phosphate + small
molecule
• Cholesterol
o Affects the membrane fluidity
2. Proteins
• Integral proteins penetrate into the hydrophobic region of the lipid bilayer
• Peripheral proteins are on the surface of the bilayer (not embedded)
• These proteins are asymmetrical
• Functions:
o Hormone-binding sites
o Immobilized enzymes
o Cell adhesion
o Cell-to-cell communication
o Transport
3. Carbohydrates
• Glycolipids and glycoproteins
Selective Permeability
Biological membranes are barriers to solute movement by exhibiting selective permeability
to allow some substance through the membrane.
1. Passive Transport
• No energy required
• Molecules move down their concentration gradient from an area of high
solute concentration to a region of low solute concentration
I. Facilitated Diffusion
• Channel transport proteins (ex. Aquaporin)
• Carrier transport proteins
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