membranes Flashcards
(90 cards)
what are 3 types of lipids found in membranes
- glycerophospholipids (phospholipids)
- sphingolipids (phospholipids that have an amide bond between a fatty acid and a sphingosine)
- sterols - subgroup of steroids, have a hydroxyl group and hydrocarbon tail
how does membrane curvature occur
occurs due to the relative size of the head group and hydrophobic tails of the membrane.
cyclindrical phospholipids lead to straight membrane
conical phospholipids lead to negative curvature
inverted-conical leads to positive curvature
what are membrane domains/rafts
sections of membrane enriched in cholesterol and sphingomyelin. rafts are thicker than normal membrane due to their lipid composition
what are the 2 forms of carbohydrate found in membranes?
glycolipids and glycoproteins
what is a O-linked glycoprotein?
carbohydrate attached to a serine or threonine amino acid
in proteins the sugars can be attached to the hydroxyl group in the side chain of serine or threonine = O-linked
consist of 3-5 sugars
what are N-linked glycoproteins?
carbohydrate chain attached to an asparagine amino acid only when asparagine is in consensus sequence Asn-X-Ser/Thr, they are large, branched structures with as many as 30-40 sugar residues
what is the functional use of membrane carbohydrates?
located of the extracellular surface of the membrane
- stabilises porteins
- intracellular recognition- blood group antigens (ABO) are on lipids
the role of amyloid beta peptide in alzheimers disease
alzheimers disease is associated with amyloid plaques composed of the protein amyloid beta (AB)
what is the role of cholesterol in alzheimers?
causes increased incidence of amyloid plaques in those dying of heart disease
apolipoprotein E4 involved in cholesterol transport is more prevalent in alzheimers
statins prevent alzheimer but cannot slow its progression
how are rafts involved in alzheimer disease
certain protein clusters in rafts that have important roles in biological processes - e.g alzheimers
the proteolytic processing of APP in rafts produces amyloid beta peptide whereas in other regions, cleavage of APP prevetns formation of amyloid-beta
name 3 different types of membrane protein
integral/intrinsic membrane proteins
lipid-linked membrane proteins
peripheral/extrinsic membrane protiens
what are intrinsic/integral membrane proteins?
membrane proteins that stick all the way through the membrane
they span the membrane with single or multiple transmembrane segments
interact with fatty acid chains in hydrophobic interior bilayer
TM regions made up predominantly of amino acids and hydrophobic side chains
can only be extracted from the membrane by distrupting the membrane with organic solvents or detergents
they come in all shapes and sizes
what are lipid-linked membrane proteins?
lipids stuck in the membrane
proteins are covalently linked to the lipid
this lipid is inserted in the membrane
different proteins use different lipids for attachment
what are peripheral/extrinsic membrane proteins
attached less tightly, on the surface
do not directly kinteract with the hydrophobic core of the bilayer
interact with the lipid headgroups or with other membrane proteins through ionic interactions
interact with lipid headgroups of other proteins
readily removed by high salt concentration
can be cytoskeleton proteins such as spectrin and actin
what are the different types of passive diffusion?
simple diffusion and facilitated diffusion
what is simple diffusion?
transport of gases, hydrophobic molecules and small molecules.
no metabolic energy is required
small molecules only
no specificity
rate of diffusion is proportional to concentration gradient
what is facilitated diffusion? and 4 examples
occurs down conc. gradient
no energy required
proteins are specific
depends on integral membrane proteins (carriers, permeases, channels and transporters)
ionophore - ion carrier of bacteria, used as antibiotic to discharge ion gradient of target cell = kill cell by allowing free movement of K+
ion channels - allow rapid and gated passage of anions and cations (normally closed and opened witha stimulus). highly selective
glucose transport = trasnport of glucose into erythrocytes, facilitated diffusion and integral membrane protein - glucose transporter (GLUT1)
Aquaporins = water channel proteins, abundant in erythrocytes and kidney cells
what are the two types of active trasnport?
ATP-driven and Ion-driven
how does ATP-driven active transport work?
energy from the hydrolysis of ATP e.g. Na+/K+ ATPase
how does ion-driven active trasnport work?
energy is from the movement of an ion down its concentration gradient - either symport (in which both the ion and ther molecule are trasnported across membrane in the same direction) e.g. Na+/glucose transporter or antiport (travel in opposite directions) e.g. Na+/Ca2+ exchanger
what are the two types of membrane trasnport for macromolecules?
exocytosis and endocytosis
what is exocytosis?
constitutive (continuous/regulated) :
all cell, secrete proteins and plasma membrane proteins
regulative (occurs in response of specific signal)
-specialised cells and is Ca2+ dependent
what is endocytosis?
phagocytosis = ingesting of large particles by specialised cells
pinocytosis = cell drinking - taking up of fluid (all cells)
receptor mediated endocytosis
= selective (receptor recognition), involves clathrin-coated pits and vesicles, good for concentrating low levels of macrophages.
e.g. cholesterol uptake - LDL receptor can be exploited by viruses to gain entry to cells
describe oral rehydration therapy
uptake of glucose is dependent on Na+, therefore patients are given an oral solution of glucose and Na+.
this increases the osmotic pressure in epithelial cells so water follows