Division Ave High School Ms.

Foglia
AP Biology

The Cell Membrane

AP Biology

Phosphate
A. Phospholipids
“attracted to water”
§ Phosphate head
u hydrophilic
§ Fatty acid tails
Fatty acid
u hydrophobic
§ Arranged as a bilayer “repelled by water”

Aaaah,
one of those
structure–function
examples
AP Biology

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Division Ave High School Ms. Foglia
AP Biology

Arranged as a Phospholipid bilayer

§ Serves as a cellular barrier / border
sugar H2O salt
polar
hydrophilic
heads

nonpolar
hydrophobic impermeable to polar molecules
tails

polar
hydrophilic
heads
waste lipids
AP Biology

B. Cell membrane functions:

§ Cell membrane separates living cell from
the outer watery environment

§ Controls traffic in & out of the cell

u allows some substances to cross more
easily than others
§ hydrophobic (nonpolar) vs. hydrophilic (polar)

AP Biology

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Division Ave High School Ms. Foglia
AP Biology

Permeability to polar molecules?

§ Membrane becomes semi-permeable via
protein channels
u specific channels allow specific material
across cell membrane

inside cell H2O aa sugar

NH
AP Biology
3 salt outside cell

D. Cell membrane is more than lipids…

§ Transmembrane proteins embedded in
phospholipid bilayer
u create semi-permeable channels
lipid bilayer protein channels
membrane in lipid bilyer membrane

AP Biology

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Division Ave High School Ms. Foglia
AP Biology

Why are
proteins the perfect
molecule to build structures
in the cell membrane?

AP Biology 2007-2008

Classes of amino acids

What do these amino acids have in common?

nonpolar & hydrophobic

AP Biology

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Division Ave High School Ms. Foglia
AP Biology

Classes of amino acids

What do these amino acids have in common?

I like the
polar ones
the best!

AP Biology polar & hydrophilic

Proteins domains anchor molecule

Polar areas
§ Within membrane of protein
u nonpolar amino acids
§ hydrophobic
§ anchors protein
into membrane
§ On outer surfaces of
membrane in fluid
u polar amino acids
§ hydrophilic
§ extend into
extracellular fluid &
Nonpolar areas of protein
AP Biology
into cytosol

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Division Ave High School Ms. Foglia
AP Biology

+
H
H+

Examples Retinal
chromophore
NH2

aquaporin =
water channel in bacteria

Porin monomer H2O

b-pleated sheets

Bacterial
Nonpolar
outer (hydrophobic) COOH
membrane a-helices in the
cell membrane H++
Cytoplasm
H
proton pump channel
in photosynthetic bacteria

function through
conformational change =
AP BiologyH2O protein changes shape

E. Many Functions of Membrane Proteins

“Channel”
Outside

Plasma
membrane

Inside
Transporter Enzyme Cell surface
activity receptor

“Antigen”

Cell surface Cell adhesion Attachment to the

AP Biology identity marker cytoskeleton

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Division Ave High School Ms. Foglia
AP Biology

F. Membrane Proteins
§ Proteins determine membrane’s specific functions
u cell membrane & organelle membranes each have
unique collections of proteins
§ Classes of membrane proteins:
u peripheral proteins
§ loosely bound to surface of membrane
§ ex: cell surface identity marker (antigens)
u integral proteins
§ penetrate lipid bilayer, usually across whole membrane
§ transmembrane protein
§ ex: transport proteins
w channels, permeases (pumps)
AP Biology

Cell membrane must be more than lipids…

§ In 1972, S.J. Singer & G. Nicolson
proposed that membrane proteins are
inserted into the phospholipid bilayer

It’s like a fluid…

It’s like a mosaic…
It’s the
Fluid Mosaic Model!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GW0lqf4Fqpg

AP Biology

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Division Ave High School Ms. Foglia
AP Biology

G. Membrane carbohydrates function

§ Play a key role in cell-cell recognition
u ability of a cell to distinguish one cell
from another
§ antigens
u important in organ &
tissue development
u basis for rejection of

foreign cells by
immune system

AP Biology

Membrane is a collage of proteins & other molecules

embedded in the fluid matrix of the lipid bilayer

Glycoprotein Extracellular fluid

Glycolipid

Phospholipids
Cholesterol
Transmembrane
proteins
Peripheral
protein Cytoplasm Filaments of
cytoskeleton
AP Biology
1972, S.J. Singer & G. Nicolson proposed Fluid Mosaic Model

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Division Ave High School Ms. Foglia
AP Biology

Any Questions??

AP Biology

Movement across the

Cell Membrane

AP Biology

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Division Ave High School Ms. Foglia
AP Biology

A. Diffusion
u movement from HIGH ® LOW concentration

AP Biology

Simple Diffusion
§ Move from HIGH to LOW concentration
u “passive transport”
u no energy needed
movement of water

AP Biology diffusion osmosis

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Division Ave High School Ms. Foglia
AP Biology

B. Facilitated Diffusion
§ Diffusion through protein channels
u channels move specific molecules across
cell membrane
facilitated = with help
u no energy needed
open channel = fast transport
HIGH

LOW
AP Biology “The Bouncer”

C. Active Transport
§ Cells may need to move molecules against
concentration gradient
u conformational shape change transports solute
from one side of membrane to other
u protein “pump”
u “costs” energy = ATP LOW conformational change

ATP

HIGH
AP Biology “The Doorman”

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Division Ave High School Ms. Foglia
AP Biology

Active transport
§ Many models & mechanisms

ATP ATP

AP Biology
antiport symport

Transport Summary
§ Passive Transport
u Simple diffusion
§ diffusion of nonpolar, hydrophobic molecules
w lipids
w HIGH ® LOW concentration gradient
u Facilitated transport
§ diffusion of polar, hydrophilic molecules
§ through a protein channel
w HIGH ® LOW concentration gradient
§ Active transport
u diffusion against concentration gradient
§ LOW ® HIGH
u uses a protein pump ATP
u requires ATP
AP Biology

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Division Ave High School Ms. Foglia
AP Biology

Transport summary
simple
diffusion

facilitated
diffusion

active ATP
transport
AP Biology

D. How about large molecules?

§ Moving large molecules into & out of cell
u through vesicles & vacuoles
u Endocytosis (think “in-docytosis”

§ phagocytosis = “cellular eating”

§ pinocytosis = “cellular drinking”
u Exocytosis
Remove materials

AP Biology exocytosis

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Division Ave High School Ms. Foglia
AP Biology

1. Endocytosis
fuse with
phagocytosis lysosome for
digestion

pinocytosis non-specific
process

triggered by
receptor-mediated molecular
endocytosis signal
AP Biology

The Special Case of Water

Movement of water across

the cell membrane

AP Biology 2007-2008

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Division Ave High School Ms. Foglia
AP Biology

Osmosis is just diffusion of water

§ Water is very important to life,
so we talk about water separately
§ Diffusion of water from
HIGH concentration of water to
LOW concentration of water
u across a
semi-permeable
membrane

AP Biology

A. Concentration of water
§ Direction of osmosis is determined by
comparing total solute concentrations
u Hypertonic - more solute, less water
u Hypotonic - less solute, more water
u Isotonic - equal solute, equal water

water

hypotonic hypertonic
AP Biology net movement of water

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Division Ave High School Ms. Foglia
AP Biology

Managing water balance

§ Cell survival depends on balancing
water uptake & loss

AP Biology freshwater balanced saltwater

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B. Managing water balance
§ 1. Hypotonic
u a cell in fresh water
u high concentration of water around cell
§ problem: cell gains water,
swells & can burst
KABOOM!
§ example: Paramecium
w ex: water continually enters
Paramecium cell
§ solution: contractile vacuole
ATP w pumps water out of cell
w ATP No problem,
u plant cells here
§ turgid = full
§ cell wall protects from bursting
AP Biology freshwater

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Division Ave High School Ms. Foglia
AP Biology

Pumping water out

§ Contractile vacuole in Paramecium

ATP

AP Biology

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Managing water balance
§ 2. Hypertonic I’m shrinking,
u a cell in salt water I’m shrinking!
u low concentration of water
around cell
§ problem: cell loses water &
can die
§ example: shellfish
§ solution: take up water or
pump out salt Iwill
u plant cells survive!

§ plasmolysis = wilt
§ can recover
AP Biology saltwater

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Division Ave High School Ms. Foglia
AP Biology

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Managing water balance
§ Isotonic
u animal cell immersed in That’s
mild salt solution perfect!
u no difference in concentration of
water between cell & environment
(no difference in water potential)
§ problem: none
w no net movement of water
n flows across membrane equally, in
both directions
w cell in equilibrium I could
be better…
w volume of cell is stable
§ example:
blood cells in blood plasma
w slightly salty IV solution in hospital
AP Biology balanced

1991 | 2003
Aquaporins
§ Water moves rapidly into & out of cells
u evidence that there were water channels
§ protein channels allowing flow of water
across cell membrane

Peter Agre Roderick MacKinnon

AP Biology
John Hopkins Rockefeller

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Division Ave High School Ms. Foglia
AP Biology

Do you understand Osmosis…

.05 M .03 M

Cell (compared to beaker) ® hypertonic or hypotonic

Beaker (compared to cell) ® hypertonic or hypotonic
Which way does the water flow? ® in or out of cell
AP Biology

Any Questions??

AP Biology

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