BIOQUÍMICA E BIOLOGIA CELULAR

José Magalhães

Membranes structure, function, specialization

and transport

Faculdade de Desporto, Universidade do Porto, 1º Ciclo, 1º Ano

Biological membranes …
Biological membranes … the phospholipid bilayer

Amphipathic Phospholipid Bilayer

The phospholipids in bilayer (Amphipathic)
The molecular structure of different phospholipids
Plasma membrane is assymetric …
Plasma membrane phospholipids distribution
Biological membranes … a fluid structure

• Membrane fluidity
depends on:

• Saturation of fatty acids

chains
• Size of fatty acids
chains
• Concentration of
cholesterol
Saturated or unsaturated fatty acid chains in phospholipids
Cholesterol in biological membranes

• Reduces phospholipids
mobility

• Decreases membrane
permeability

• Concentration-related
with environmental
temperatures
Cellular membrane functions

• Separates cell from

environment

• Form compartments
allowing specialization

• Regulation of transport

• Detection of signals

• Cell-cell communication

• Cell identity
Biological membranes … a fluid mosaic model

A membrane is a “fluid structure” with a “mosaic” of various proteins embedded in it

Membrane mass is equivalent to 50% lipids and 50% proteins. However, since proteins
have a higher molecular weight, there much more lipids than proteins (50-100:1)
Essential components of the biological membranes

• Phospholipids

• Glycolipids

• Proteins

• Glycoproteins

• Cholesterol
Functions of membrane proteins

• Transport channels

• Enzyme reactions

• Receptors

• Cell identity

• Cytoskeleton and ECM

link

• Cell adhesion
Functions of membrane proteins
Functions of membrane proteins
Membrane proteins arrangement
Membrane carbohydrate layer (glicocalyx)

• Membrane proteins with short chain

of sugars (oligosaccharides) form
glycoproteins

• With one or more long

polysaccharides attached to them
form proteoglycans

• Together with glicolipids from

glicocalyx

• Glicocalyx protects cell surface and

are involved in cell recognition and
adhesion
Permeability of phospholipid bilayers
Gradients across plasma membrane
Gradients across plasma membrane
Membrane transport systems based on energy expenditure

(Down gradient) (Against gradient)

The example of simple difusion (osmosis)

Medium
Facilitated diffusion (Down gradient)

Very specific Very specific

Form open pores Often transport just one type of molecules
(sugars, amino acids, nucleotides…)
Usually transport ions (Ion
Channels) Suffer conformational change
Specific to charge and size Can also mediate active transport
Higher rate of transport
compared to carriers (1000x)
Carriers of primary active transport (against gradient)
Against gradient
An example of primary active transport (Na+/K+ ATPase)

Passive transport
Facilitated diffusion
Secondary active transport (example of a symport)

In secondary active transport, in contrast to primary

active transport, there is no direct coupling of ATP;
instead, the electrochemical gradient difference created
by pumping ions out of the cell is used to transport
another molecule.
Membrane transport systems
Membrane transport systems based on solute movements
Examples of ion gradients importance in the cell …

(High concentration)
The case of glucose transport in muscle (GLUT-4)
Membrane specializations

Particular areas of the cellular

membranes specialized in
specific functions :

• Cilia and flagella

• Microvillus

• Cellular junctions
Cellular junctions (cell-cell and cell-matrix)
Cell-cell tigh junctions (junções apertadas)

Claudins
Occludins

• Seal cells avoiding leakage of small

molecules across the epithelium
through the gaps between its cells.

• Play a key maintaining epithelium cell

polarity preventing proteins diffusion
from one place to another
Cell-cell anchoring junctions (junções de ancoragem)

• Allows that cells work together providing

mechanical strength

• Cadherin family molecules mediate

mechanical attachment of one cell to another
through cytoskeletal filaments

• In adhesion junction cadherins link to actin

• In desmosomes cadherins link to a dense

anchor protein plaque and then to intermediate
filaments (keratin)...the above figure.
Cell-cell gap junctions (junções comunicantes)

Each protein that

forms the
connexon is a
connexin

• Allows the passage of chemical (ions

or small molecules) or electrical signals
(coordinated contraction of
cardiomyocytes) from one cell to
another through channels

• Can be closed or opened in response

to stimuli (gated channels)
Micrographs of some cellular junctions …
Electron micrograph of muscle desmosomes
Electron micrograph of muscle desmosomes
Cellular junctions (cell-cell and cell-matrix)