Cell Membranes

& Transport 1
 Cell membrane and transport
Big Ideas
 The cell is the smallest living unit.
– The properties of the cellular membrane control
how large a cell can grow
 The cell must bring in and send out specific
substances in order to maintain life.
 The cell is surrounded by the plasma
membrane.
 The plasma membrane is not impenetrable -
substances can cross it.
 DEMO
 Alka Selzter
 Time how long it takes for a half of a piece
of an Alka Selzter tablet to blow the lid off a
film canister half filled with water.
 Time how long it takes for a half piece of a
CRUSHED Alka Selzter tablet to blow the lid
off a film canister half filled with water.
 Explain what happens and why you think it
happens.
Draw what you think is happening to the Alka-
Seltzer
 Why Cells are small

SURFACE
AREA
 Why Cells are small

Cell Size

Surface Area
(length x width x 6)
Volume
(length x width x height)
Ratio of Surface Area
to Volume
The Cell is surrounded by the
plasma membrane
 1. Membrane structure
and function
 Biological membranes
– Thin barrier separating the inside of the cell
(or structure) from the outside environment

 Functions (focus on plasma membrane)

– Selectively isolate the cell’s contents from
the external environment
– Regulate the exchange of substances
between the inside and outside of the cell
– Communicate with other cells
Fluid-mosaic model of membrane
structure
The phospholipid bilayer is the fluid
portion of the membrane

 Double layer
 Polar head group: hydrophilic exterior
 Non-polar hydrocarbon tails: hydrophobic interior
 Unsaturated hydrocarbon chains: maintains fluidity
 Phospholipid bilayer as a barrier
 Hydrophilic molecules cannot pass freely
through the membrane’s hydrophobic interior
– Sugars, amino acids, charged ions (i.e. Na+ and Cl-)
are some examples
– Though polar, H20 is so small it does pass
through.

 Many hydrophobic molecules can pass freely

through the membrane’s hydrophobic interior
– Steroid hormones and other lipids are some examples
Permeability of bilayer—lipid center is a barrier to
passage of large hydrophilic molecules, but it allows
nonpolar, hydrophobic molecules to pass. Water is
also able to pass (due to size)
Cholesterol molecules are part of the
lipid bilayer
 Adds strength
 Adds flexibility
 Affects fluidity
– Decreases fluidity at
“moderate” temperatures
 Harder for phospholipids
to move
– Prevents solidification at
low temperatures
 Keeps phospholipids from
binding to each other
A mosaic of proteins is embeded in
the membrane

 Glycoproteins: proteins with attached carbohydrates

 Types of membrane proteins
 Transport proteins
– For passage of materials through the
plasma membrane
 Channel vs. carrier proteins

 Receptor proteins
– Bind molecules and trigger cellular
responses
 Example: hormones

 Recognition proteins
– Self vs. non-self (glycoprotein-based)
recognition
– Markers during development
 Cell membrane lab
Bubble Membrane
 Make a rectangle out of 2 straws (cut into
lengths of 15-20 cm) connected with string.

 Form a film of bubble solution on the straw

device.
 Cell membrane lab
 Form a film of bubble solution on your straw
device and show me the flexible nature of
membranes by bending and folding the film.
Please get this part of
the lab checked off by
Mr. Brown
 Cell membrane lab
 Demonstrate the self-sealing nature of
membranes by floating a loop of thread in the
bubble film. Pop the inside of the thread, then
gently remove the thread WITHOUT breaking
the rest of the film inside the straw device. This
illustrates how pores in membranes work and
how membranes can seal broken areas.

Please get this part of

the lab checked off by
Mr. Brown
 Cell membrane lab
 What structure in the cell membrane would
the thread represent?

 Why doesn't the entire bubble pop when you

pop the bubble inside of the thread?
 Cell membrane lab
 Demonstrate lateral movement of proteins
within membranes by inserting items such
as a pencil or pen through the film and move
them around, WITHOUT breaking the
bubble solution. Try placing the loop of
thread on the bubble and then with a pencil
move the thread around.

Please get this part of

the lab checked off by
Mr. Brown
 Cell membrane lab
Challenge!
(you can use all of your materials in any way you want)
 Make a bubble that represents a Prokaryotic
cell. You will be required to explain your
bubble Please get this part of
the lab checked off by
Mr. Brown

 Make a bubble that represents a Eukaryotic

cell. You will be required to explain your
bubble Please get this part of
the lab checked off by
Mr. Brown
 What did we learn?
LAB QUESTIONS
 Why don’t we see dog sized cells running
around fetching sticks?
 How are bubble membranes similar to cell
membranes?
 Explain how the membrane can keep
materials out.
 Why is the membrane considered a fluid
mosaic?
 DUE ON FRIDAY
 Membrane Transport
 The plasma membrane controls passage of
materials in and out of the cell.
 Most transport is controlled by integral
membrane transport proteins.
– these proteins are stimulated by receptors
– the transport through proteins may (active)
or may not (passive) require energy
 Small molecules, like water, pass through
membrane on their own.
– diffusion
– osmosis
Video Clip Video Clip
 Membrane Transport
 Substances cross the membrane in order
to...
– ...supply the cell with the numerous raw materials
necessary for function.
– ...allow removal of waste products
– ...maintain pH
– ...allow for signaling
– ...etc.
 Items cross the membrane both passively (no energy
requirement) and actively (energy is required to move
the substance across the membrane).
 The Plasma Membrane
 The plasma membrane is composed of
phospholipids, cholesterol and proteins.
 The lipid molecules have their heads at the two
outer faces of the bilayer and their tails in-
between.
 The bilayer imparts structure to cells and serves
as a barrier between two solutions.
– the internal solution (cytoplasm)
– the external solution (exoplasm)
 There are proteins embedded in the bilayer that
carry out membrane functions.
 Crossing the Membrane
How are materials moved? - Diffusion
 Diffusion is the net movement of molecules
down their concentration gradient.
– Concentration is the number of molecules of
substance in a given volume of fluid.
 Molecules show a net outward movement from
a region where they are most concentrated.
– This is due to molecules are constantly
moving and colliding with each other.
Where is the greatest concentration
of molecules? Which way are they
moving?
Diffusion to Equilibrium
 Crossing the Membrane
 Small molecules (CO2, O2, H2O) will
simply cross through cell membrane
because of concentration differences.
 Entropy is driving force - wants equal
concentrations of both sides of
membrane.
 Diffusion
How are materials moved? - Diffusion

QuickTime Movie

QuickTime Movie
 Crossing the Membrane
How are materials moved? - Osmosis
 Osmosis is the movement of water across
a selectively permeable membrane in
response to concentration gradients, fluid
pressure or both.
 Another way to describe osmosis is the
diffusion of a solvent from a dilute solution
through a semipermeable membrane to a
more concentrated one.
Osmosis
 Crossing the Membrane
 The plasma membrane is “selectively permeable”
– Selectively permeable means that only certain
molecules can cross without help.
– Crossing ability is determined by size and/or
charge.
 In osmosis, water moves toward greater solute
concentration - to equalize concentration.
 “Tonicity” is relative concentration of non-crossing
solutes.
 Water moves from hypotonic (less solutes) to
hypertonic (more solutes)
Semipermeable membrane
Starch water
G

Starch

G
Starch

G
Osmosis

QuickTime Movie

QuickTime Movie
 Osmotic Pressure
Three tonic conditions can exist for cells.

 Isotonic - the concentration is the same on both

sides.
 Hypertonic - the concentration is greater on the
inside.
 Hypotonic - the concentration is greater on the
outside.
Osmotic Pressure
 Isotonic

A red blood cell and plasma have the same

osmotic pressure
 Hypotonic

If the level of salt in the plasma is too high,

the cell collapses.
Hypotonic cell, hypertonic solution.
crenation - water is drawn out of the cell.
 Hypertonic

If the level of salt in the plasma is too low,

the cell swells and ruptures.
Hypertonic cell, hypotonic solution.
hemolysis - water is drawn into the cell.
Water balance summary
 Crossing the Membrane
How are materials moved? - Passive
transport = diffusion & facilitated transport
 Protein mediated passive transport is the
movement of a molecule down its
concentration gradient.
 Substances diffuse through the interior of
channel proteins.
 Two way movement.
QuickTime Movie
 Crossing the Membrane
How are materials moved? - facilitated
transport
Carrier proteins can
move ions or molecules
of a solute in both
directions. The net
movement will be down
the gradient until
concentrations become
the same on both sides
of the membrane.
 Crossing the Membrane
How are materials moved? - Active transport...
 ...is the movement of a molecule against its
concentration gradient.
 ...moves molecules across the membrane until
one side contains more then the other.
 ...requires energy
 ... moves Ca++, Na+ and K+ across the
membrane.
– these ions are necessary to maintain cell activity
QuickTime Movie
 Crossing the Membrane
Carrier proteins QuickTime Movie

require energy input

from ATP in order to
recognize solute.
Once the carrier
protein is activated, it
picks up the solute
and moves it across
the membrane,
regardless of the
concentration
gradient.
QuickTime Movie
 Crossing the Membrane
How are materials moved? - Endo- and exocytosis.
 Endocytosis is the intake of extracellular materials.
 Exocytosis is the output of intracellular materials.
 These processes can move large quantities of material
across the membrane because substances for -cytosis are
packaged into vesicles.
– Vesicles can contain large amount of molecules.
– Vesicles can be easily transported around the cell via the
cytoskeleton.
– Vesicles are associated with organelles that process
materials.
 Golgi apparatus & endoplasmic reticulum
 Crossing the Membrane

How are materials moved? - Endo- and

exocytosis.
 The process of endocytosis involves...
– ...the contact of a substance with the membrane.
– ...sinking inward of the PM and its surrounding of a
substance - forming an intracellular vesicle.
– ...internalization and transport of the vesicle.
– The internalized vesicle associates typically with the
Golgi where contents and removed from the vesicle,
processed, and redistributed throughout the cell.
 Crossing the Membrane

How are materials moved? - Endo- and exocytosis.

 Receptor mediated endocytosis...
– ...involves the binding of molecular particles
to membrane bound receptor proteins.
– Membrane fluidity allows clustering of ligand
bound receptors.
– After a certain receptor concentration is
produced, both ligand and receptor are
internalized via endocytosis.
 Crossing the Membrane
How are materials moved? - Endo- and
exocytosis.
 Processing of the internalized vesicle.
– There are multiple “destinations” for the
internalized vesicle.
– Both bilayer and receptor are recycled.
– Ligand is further processed and involved
in cell signaling.
Crossing the Membrane

QuickTime Movie

QuickTime Movie
Crossing the Membrane
 Crossing the Membrane - LDL
 Receptor-mediated endocytosis
Receptors on cell membrane sense LDL.
Pocket forms in membrane - invagination.
Takes LDL into cell, forming endosome.
Endosome fuses with lysosome.
 digestive organelle
Enzymes digest LDL, releasing cholesterol.
Crossing the Membrane
Crossing the Membrane
Crossing the Membrane
Electrogenic pump
Cotransport
 Summary
 The plasma membrane controls passage
of materials in and out of the cell.
 Most transport is controlled by integral
membrane transport proteins.
 Substances cross the membrane in order
to supply the cell with the numerous raw
materials necessary for function, allow
removal of waste products, maintain pH
and allow for signaling.
Review of transport types
 Summary
 Items cross the membrane both passively (no
energy requirement) and actively (energy is
required to move the substance across the
membrane).
 Proteins that span the plasma membrane
function as transport channels, signal receptors,
recognition complexes or adhesion molecules.
 Materials cross the membrane via diffusion,
osmosis, active transport and endo- and
exocytosis.