24/8/2020

Lecture Outline
What is Plasma Membrane?
Description and function of this cell structure

Lipid Bilayer
Major lipids in Cell Membranes, formation of

Nature and bilayers, fluidity of a lipid bilayer, glycolipids in

eukaryotic Plasma membranes

Composition Membrane Proteins

of Plasma Association of proteins with the lipid bilayer,

solubilization and purification of membrane

Membrane proteins, functions of membrane proteins

The Fluid Mosaic Model

LECTURER: The components and interaction of plasma
JASHIN J. ROSAL membrane molecules

Cell Wall
© Daniel Friend

WHAT IS PLASMA
MEMBRANE?
Plasma Membrane
F L U ID MO S AIC MO DEL
• The limiting membrane that envelop cells
• Made of phospholipids, cholesterol, proteins, and
oligosaccharide chains linked to phospholipid and
protein molecules

FUNCTIONS:
Physical barrier Selective permeability
Communication Electrochemical Gradients

Mescher (2018)

Major Lipids in Cell

The LIPID BILAYER Membranes
• Constitute 50% of the mass of most animal
membranes. PHOSPHOLIPIDS STEROLS
• Provides basic structure for all cell membranes.
• Polar head group (phosphate group) • Cholesterol are found in large amounts
• Can be seen by electron microscopy (EM) in eukaryotic organisms
• Two hydrophobic hydrocarbon tails
• Bilayer structure is due to the properties of lipid
molecules, which spontaneously assemble into Phosphoglycerides
bilayers even under simple artificial conditions
Sphingolipids
Characteristic of Lipids:
Amphiphilic

Hydrophilic head

Hydrophobic tail

Alberts et al.(2008)

1
 24/8/2020

Major Lipids in Cell Phospholipids of Archaea

Membranes vs. Bacteria/ Eukarya
PHOSPHOLIPIDS
Phosphoglycerides Sphingolipids

lumenlearning,com
Alberts et al.(2008)

Major Lipids in Cell

Membranes
STEROLS
Cholesterol
Lipid Bilayer

micelles

Mescher (2018)
Mescher (2018)

Absent in
bacteria and
plants
Alberts et al.(2008)
Alberts et al.(2008)

GLYCOLIPIDS
Lipid Bilayer • Sugar-containing molecules
• Found exclusively in the monolayer facing away
from the cytosol
• ~5% of the lipid molecules (in eukaryotes)
• Gangliosides- most complex glycolipids
Mescher (2018) Alberts et al.(2008)

by flippases

Alberts et al.(2008)

2
 24/8/2020

GLYCOLIPIDS Membrane Proteins

• Major constituents of membranes (~50% by
Functions weight of the plasma membrane)
• Protects plasma membrane Integral Proteins
• Maintains electrical field across membrane and • Directly incorporated within the lipid bilayer
the concentration of ions • Single- and multi-pass transmembrane proteins
• Cell-recognition process and cell-surface
receptor Peripheral Proteins
• Loosely associated with one of the two
membrane surfaces, particularly the inner

Mescher (2018)

Various ways in which proteins GLYCOPROTEINS

associate with the lipid bilayer • Formed from glycosylation
• For cell recognition, protection for mechanical
and chemical damage
• prevents unwanted interaction of cells.

Lodish et al.(2008) Mescher (2018)

Plasma Membrane CELL WALL

F L U ID MO S AIC MO DEL
• Protective layer that surrounds some cells and
gives them shape and rigidity.
• Prevents osmotic lysis
• Found in plants, bacteria (varies between
species), and archaea

Mescher (2018)
Anwar et al. (2017)

3
 24/8/2020

BACTERIAL CELL WALL

• Contain peptidoglycan composed of
polysaccharide chains that are cross-linked by
unusual peptides containing both L- and D-amino
acids, including D-glutamic acid and D-alanine .

lumenlearning,com lumenlearning,com

THANK YOU!

LECTURER:
JASHIN J. ROSAL

© Daniel Friend