ANP 1105 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Extracellular Fluid, Signal Transduction, Connexin

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Anatomy and Physiology
• Course: ANP 1105
• Professor: William Staines

Document Summary

Function: transport, enzyme activity, receptors for signal transduction, attachment to extracellular matrix, cell to cell recognition and interaction, intercellular joining, barrier between intercellular fluid and extracellular fluid. Phospholipid bilayer: has a hydrophilic head and two hydrophobic tails. Useful in keeping water soluble molecules out of the cell. Integral membrane proteins: proteins that span the entire membrane acting as channels or carriers for molecular transportation. Cytoskeleton: anchors the plasma membrane, can also interact with receptors in the presence of a growth factor. Cholesterol: helps stabilize and maintain the structure of the plasma membrane. Electrochemical gradient: maintains the electrochemical properties within the cell for muscle and neuron function. The fusion of adjacent plasma membranes to prevent the passage of molecules. Important for keeping gastric juices out of the bloodstream. Anchoring junctions: molecular linking of cells to resist mechanical stress (linker proteins, keratin filaments, plaque) Molecular channels between cells to allow the passage of cytoplasmic molecules (connexin)