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Structure of Cell Membrane Cell Transport

The cell membrane is a phospholipid bilayer with integral and peripheral proteins. It separates the intracellular and extracellular environments. The fluid mosaic model describes the membrane as a fluid structure with proteins and carbohydrates diffusing freely. Transport across the membrane includes passive diffusion down concentration gradients and active transport against gradients using ATP. Passive transport includes facilitated diffusion through membrane proteins and osmosis of water.

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170 views4 pages

Structure of Cell Membrane Cell Transport

The cell membrane is a phospholipid bilayer with integral and peripheral proteins. It separates the intracellular and extracellular environments. The fluid mosaic model describes the membrane as a fluid structure with proteins and carbohydrates diffusing freely. Transport across the membrane includes passive diffusion down concentration gradients and active transport against gradients using ATP. Passive transport includes facilitated diffusion through membrane proteins and osmosis of water.

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Marjhon playsmcpe787
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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STRUCTURE OF CELL MEMBRANE

• Plasma membrane, physically separates the intracellular space (inside the cell) from the extracellular
environment (outside the cell).

Structural Components of the Cell Membrane

• Phospholipid bilayer
• Consists of two layers of phospholipids.
• Each phospholipid has a polar, hydrophilic (water-soluble) head as well as a non-polar, hydrophobic
(water-insoluble) tail.
• Polar head composed of a glycerol and a phosphate molecule
• Nonpolar tails composed of fatty acid (hydrocarbon) chains

• Membrane Proteins
• These are proteins found spanning the membrane from the inside of the cell (in the cytoplasm) to the
outside of the cell.
• Membrane proteins have hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions that allow them to fit into the cell
membrane.

• Types of Membrane Proteins


• Integral proteins are permanently attached to the membrane and are typically transmembrane
(they span across the bilayer)
• Peripheral proteins are temporarily attached by non-covalent interactions and associate with
one surface of the membrane  

• Functions of Membrane Proteins


• Junctions – Serve to connect and join two cells together 
• Enzymes – Fixing to membranes localizes metabolic pathways 
• Transport – Responsible for facilitated diffusion and active transport 
• Recognition – May function as markers for cellular identification 
• Anchorage – Attachment points for cytoskeleton and extracellular matrix 
• Transduction – Function as receptors for peptide hormones 

• Carbohydrates
• They are found on the outside surface of cells and are bound either to proteins (forming glycoproteins)
or to lipids (forming glycolipids).
• Along with membrane proteins, these carbohydrates form distinctive cellular markers, sort of like
molecular ID badges, that allow cells to recognize each other.

• Cholesterol
• Type of lipid composed of four fused carbon rings
• Found alongside phospholipids in the core of the membrane.
• Helps to maintain integrity and mechanical stability
• Prevents the membrane from solidifying when your body temperature is low.
• Fluid Mosaic Model
• S.J. Singer and G.L. Nicolson proposed the Fluid Mosaic Model of the cell membrane in 1972.
• This model describes the structure of the cell membrane as a fluid structure with various protein and
carbohydrate components diffusing freely across the membrane. 
• The ‘FLUID’ part represents how some parts of the membrane can move around freely, if they are not
attached to other parts of the cell. 
• The ‘MOSAIC’ part illustrates the ‘patchwork’ of proteins that is found in the Phospholipid Bilayer.

CELL TRANSPORT

• Types
– Passive Transport
– Active Transport
– Bulk / Vesicle Transport

• Passive Transport
– Passive transport occurs when substances cross the plasma membrane without any input of energy from
the cell.
– Substances are moving from an area where they have a higher concentration to an area where they have
a lower concentration.
– Types
• Diffusion
• Facilitated Diffusion
• Osmosis

• Diffusion
– Diffusion is the random movement of particles of a solute from a region of high concentration to low
concentration. It is therefore said to occur down a concentration gradient.

• Rate of Diffusion
– The three main factors affecting the rate of diffusion in cells are concentration gradient, temperature,
and pressure.
– The higher the concentration, temperature and pressure, the faster the rate of diffusion.

• Osmosis
– Osmosis is the diffusion of water across a selectively permeable membrane
– Water diffuses across a membrane from the region of lower solute concentration to the region of higher
solute concentration until the solute concentration is equal on both sides
– In biological systems, osmosis is vital to plant and animal cell survival. 
– The ability of a solution to cause a cell to gain or lose water is called tonicity.
• It is mostly depends on the concentration of solute or salts on both sides of the membrane.
• Hypotonic solution
• Hypertonic solution
• Isotonic solution
• Isotonic solutions
– The concentration of solutes outside the cell is EQUAL to the concentration of solutes inside the cell.

• Hypotonic solutions
– The concentration of solutes outside the cell is LESS than the concentration solutes inside the cell.

• Hypertonic solutions
– The concentration of solutes outside the cell is GREATER than the concentration solutes inside the
cell.

● Facilitated Diffusion
• Diffusion of specific particles through transport proteins found in the membrane
– Transport Proteins are specific – they “select” only certain molecules to cross the membrane
– Transports larger or charged molecules
– Movement of molecules is still PASSIVE just like ordinary diffusion, the only difference is, the
molecules go through a protein channel instead of passing between the phospholipids. 

• Types of Transport Proteins


– Channel Proteins - are embedded in the cell membrane & have a pore for materials to cross
– Carrier proteins can change shape to move material from one side of the membrane to the other

• Uniport – one solute transported


• Symport – two solutes in the same direction
• Antiport – two solutes in opposite directions

• Active Transport
– The movement of substances against a concentration gradient, from a region of low
concentration to high concentration using an input of energy.
– In biological systems, the form in which this energy occurs is adenosine triphosphate (ATP).

• Sodium Potassium Pump


– The role of the sodium potassium ATPase pump is to carry sodium out of the cell and bring potassium
into the cell.
– In order to do this an enzyme called ATPase uses energy from ATP to pump 3 sodium ions out of the cell
and pump 2 potassium ions into the cell.
• Bulk Transport
– The movement of macromolecules such as proteins or polysaccharides into or out of the cell.
• Endocytosis
• Exocytosis

• Endocytosis
– A process of taking material into the cell by means of infoldings, or pockets, of the cell membrane
(usually putting them into a vacuole).
• Phagocytosis
• Pinocytosis –”Cell Drinking”
• Receptor – mediated endocytosis

• Phagocytosis

• Pinocytosis

• Receptor-mediated Endocytosis

• Exocytosis
– A process in which the membrane of the vacuole surrounding the material fuses with the cell
membrane, forcing the contents out of the cell.

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