NATURE AND

COMPOSITION,
FUNCTIONS OF
PLASMA /CELL
MEMBRANE
by: ROLLANO, KAYE L.
Core Concepts
PLASMA MEMBRANE

FUNCTIONS OF PLASMA
MEMBRANE

STRUCTURE OF PLASMA
MEMBRANE

THE FLUID MOSAIC MODEL

OBJECTIVES
At the end of the discussion the students must be able to

Understand the Plasma

membrane
To know the structures
and functions of plasma
membrane
To discuss the Fluid
Mosaic Model
WHAT IS PLASMA MEMBRANE?
PLASMA MEMBRANE
The Plasma Membrane, lipid bilayer

The plasma membrane of a cell is a network of lipids and

proteins that forms the boundary between a cell’s contents
and the outside of the cell.

An outermost envelope-like membrane or a structure, which

surrounds the cell and its organelles is called the plasma
membrane. It is a double membraned cell organelle, which is
also called the phospholipid bilayer and is present both in
prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.

And is described by The Fluid Mosaic Model

HISTORY STUDIES ON
PLASMA/CELL MEMBRANE
The cell membrane was discovered by a Swiss botanist
Carl Naegeli and C Carmer in 1855
Carl Naegeli and C Carmer noted that the surface of
the cell wall was not continuos and that it was not
impermeable to pigments added to the solution around
the cell
They also find that the photoplasmic surface was more
dense and viscous when compared to cytoplasm
They called this surface as the plasma membrane
FUNCTIONS OF PLASMA MEMBRANE
1. A CELLULAR TRANSPORT

it maintains a balance between various materials to

create ideal cellular conditions for the cell to function
normally,
So, transport is one of the main functions of plasma
membrane.
There are mainly two types of transport that occur
through the plasma membrane
including Start 1. Passive Transport 2. Active Transport
 THE TWO TYPES OF TRANSPORT
ACTIVE TRANSPORT
It is a procedure where the
molecules move from a region of
their lower concentration to a
region of their higher concentration
through the cell membrane against
the concentration gradient.
This kind of transport requires
energy as they transport molecules
against their concentration gradient.
PASSIVE TRANSPORT
In passive transport, substances
(molecules or ions) move from an
area of higher concentration to an
area of lower concentration in a
process called diffusion.
a type of membrane transport that
does not require energy to move
substances across cell membranes
FUNCTIONS OF PLASMA MEMBRANE
2. CELLULAR COMMUNICATION
Cells are able to communicate with each other and
interact through signaling via the structures on their
surface (proteins and carbohydrates).
In the majority of signaling systems, a number of
receptors are located within the plasma membrane.
In all cell signaling systems, the signaling molecule must
bind to a specific receptor; this activates a signal
transduction pathway which produces the cellular
response.
 4 MAIN JUNCTIONS
GAP JUNCTIONS
Cells use gap junctions for the transportation
of smaller particles like amino acids, water,
ions and other solutes.
Gap junctions are tubes that join two cells
together and create a connection that allows
for the transportation.
They also help to spread
electrochemical signals that are
produced by action potentials occur in
the nervous system (neurons) and in
cardiac cells that make heart beat).
TIGHT JUNCTION
Tight junctions are the connections
where there is no tube, but there is
an impermeable layer between the
cells.
Here, the cell membranes are
connected, but the contents of each
cell are not connected in anv way.
This type of cell connection is useful in
places that need to contain certain
fluids, like in the bladder, the intestines
or the kidneys.
 4 MAIN JUNCTIONS
DESMOSOMES
Desmosomes hold two cells
tightly together by thread like
substances across the space
between cells.
it physically hold the cells
together, but do not allow fluids
or materials to pass from the
inside of one cell to the next
ADHERENS JUNCTION
junctions are cell junctions in
epithelial and endothelial tissues.
They are located right below tight
junctions. Its cytoplasmic face is
linked to the actin cytoskeleton.
They join the actin cytoskeleton to
the plasma membrane to form
adhesive contacts between cells or
between the extracellular matrix
(ECM) and cells.
FUNCTIONS OF PLASMA MEMBRANE
3. CELL DIVISION
The plasma membrane is a dynamic structure that is
always in motion.
It helps to complete the cell division process easily
specially at the last stage. Telophase when the Plasma
Membrane pinches at the central part of the mother cell
and separates to form two daughter cells.
Cell division is the process cells go through to divide.
There are several types of cell division, depending upon
what type of organism is dividing.
 THE PLASMA
MEMBRANE
STRUCTURE

Internal structure of a PLASMA/ CELL MEMBRANE

 FLUID
MOSAIC
MODEL
 The fluid mosaic model was first
proposed in the year 1972 by American
biologists Garth L. Nicolson and THE
FLUID
Seymour Jonathan Singer.
The fluid mosaic model describes in
detail, the plasma membrane structure
in the eukaryotic cells, and how well it is
arranged along with their components – MOSAIC
MODEL
phospholipids, proteins, carbohydrates
and cholesterol. These components give
a fluid appearance to the plasma
membrane.
1.Phospholipids
The membrane is partially made
up of molecules called
phospholipids, which
spontaneously arrange
themselves into a double layer
with hydrophilic (“water loving”)
heads on the outside and
hydrophobic (“water hating”) tails
on the inside. These interactions
with water are what allow plasma
membranes to form.
 (hydrophilic). The two tails are
made up of fatty acids (chains
of carbon atoms) that aren’t
compatible with, or repel, water
(hydrophobic).
Proteins
Proteins are wedged between the
lipids that make up the membrane,
and these transmembrane proteins
allow molecules that couldn’t enter
the cell otherwise to pass through by
forming channels, pores or gates. In
this way, the cell controls the flow of
these molecules as they enter and
exit. Proteins in the cell membrane
play a role in many other functions,
such as cell signaling, cell recognition,
and enzyme activity

2. Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a type of steroid
which is helpful in regulating
molecules entering and exiting
the cell. We’ll talk about this in
more depth later, but for now
remember it’s part of the cell
membrane.
3. Proteins
The cell is made up of two different
types, or “classes”, of proteins.
Integral proteins are nestled into the
phospholipid bilayer and stick out on
either end. Integral proteins are
helpful for transporting larger
molecules, like glucose, across the
cell membrane. They have regions,
called “polar” and “nonpolar” regions,
that correspond with the polarity of
the phospholipid bilayer.
 4. Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are also found in
the plasma membrane;
specifically, most carbohydrates in
the membrane are part of
glycoproteins, which are formed
when a carbohydrate attaches to a
protein. Glycoproteins play a role
in the interactions between cells,
including cell adhesion, the
process by which cells attach to
each other.
5
C 1. Small, nonpolar molecules (e.g. oxygen and carbon dioxide):
These molecules can pass through the lipid bilayer and do so by
A
squeezing through the phospholipid bilayers.
T
E 2.Small, polar molecules (e.g. water): These molecules can also pass
G through the lipid bilayer without the help of proteins, but they do
so with a little more difficulty than the molecule type above.
O
R 3.Large, nonpolar molecules (e.g. carbon rings): These rings can
I pass through but it is also a slow process.
E
S
5
C 4. Large, polar molecules (e.g. simple sugar - glucose): The size and
A charge of large polar molecules make it too difficult to pass
T through the nonpolar region of the phospholipid membrane
without help from transport proteins.
E
G 5. Similarly, the charge of an ion makes it too difficult to pass
O through the nonpolar region of the phospholipid membrane
R without help from transport proteins.
I
E
S
RELATED BIOLOGY TERMS
Cell wall – A structure that surrounds the plasma
membrane of plant and fungus cells and provides
additional support to those cells.
Phospholipid – a molecule that forms the characteristic
double layer of the plasma membrane.
Semi-permeable – allowing only certain molecules to
pass through due to the chemical properties of the
membrane.
Fluid Mosaic Model – a model that describes the
composition of the plasma membrane and how
phospholipids, proteins, and carbohydrates freely
move within it.
 THANK
YOU FOR
LISTENING
 Resources

Online sources used

Khan Academy
https://byjus.com/biology/plasma-membrane/
https://biologydictionary.net/plasma-membrane/
https://www.slideshare.net/priyankagohil10/structure-function-of-cell-
membrane
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cmapyzSx6tQ