CSB332H1 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Lipid Raft, Lipid Bilayer, Resting Potential
14 Jan 2017
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Document Summary
Neurons communicate/encode information using electrical signals: difference in charge across the membrane - ions can"t get through phospholipid bilayer. Ions are separated by the cell membrane; when ion channels that sit in the membrane are opened, ions ow generating electrical signals. Can record and measure ion currents using electrophysiology. Cell membrane is a mosaic of lipids and various proteins. The lipid molecules have their hydrophilic heads facing out (facing intra and extracellularly: hydrophobic tails facing the middle of the layer. Some proteins cross the entire lipid bilayer and can be biochemically modi ed. Although this lipid bilayer is only 6nm thick this structure is what makes it possible for cells to communicate with each other. Current models no longer think of the phospholipid bilayer as homogenous. Concept of lipid rafts that consist of enrichment of cholesterol and other proteins. May also help in intracellular communication through organizing different proteins, channels and receptors.
