Cellular Form and Function:

The parts of a cell

Bio 130 Part 2

Jennifer Mitchell
Figure 1-30 Molecular Biology of the Cell, Fifth Edition ( Garland Science 2008)

Review Bio130 Part 1

DNA
mRNA

mRNA

protein

Figure 1-30 Molecular Biology of the Cell, Fifth Edition ( Garland Science 2008)

Membrane
structure and
transport

Organelles

Cytoskeleton

The cell cycle

Junctions, adhesion
and ECM

Cell differentiation

Figure 1-30 Molecular Biology of the Cell, Fifth Edition ( Garland Science 2008)

By the end of Bio 130 you should be

able to:
1.

Identify the different parts of a eukaryotic cell.

2.

Match the processes that take place inside the cell with the parts
of the cell.

3.

Place these processes in context of how the whole cell functions.

4.

Recognise the techniques used in different types of experiments

discussed in lectures.

5.

Perform Cell Biology experiments in your lab sections and relate

the learning back to what has been discussed in lectures.

Typical Animal Cell

= animal-specific

Typical Plant Cell

Nucleus
Endoplasmic
reticulum
Golgi apparatus
Peroxisome
Mitochondria
Plasma
membrane

= plant-specific

1. Cytoplasm
Contents of the cell outside the nucleus

2. Cytosol

Aqueous part of the cytoplasm

3. Lumen
The inside of organelles
7

Membrane Structure
Reading: Alberts p617-624
From Chpt 10

Many Cellular Functions Occur at Membranes

1. Compartmentalization
2. Scaffold for
biochemical
activities
3. Selectively H20
permeable barrier
4. Transporting solutes

6. Interactions
between cells

5. Responding to external signals

9

Cell Membranes
test

- divides cell into compartments

- control movement of molecules
lipid bilayer
basic unit
fluid structure

membrane proteins
mobile in the lipid bilayer
Example: receptors

The fluid mosaic model of the membrane

10

Lipid Bilayer
Polar head
groups

}
Lipids

amphiphilic

11

Leaflet

Hydrophobic
tails
Polar head
groups

hydrophilic or polar head group (water-loving)

hydrophobic or nonpolar tail (water-fearing)

Lipid Bilayer continued

Phospholipids - most
abundant

polar head group

two hydrophobic
tails

Figure 10-2

aqueous environment
spontaneously
self-associate
into bilayer

artificial lipid bilayers (liposomes) can be used to

deliver substances into cells (DNA, drugs)
12

Figure 10-7

Lipid ComponentsPhospholipids
1) Phospholipids

most abundant

eg. phosphatidylcholine,
sphingomyelin

- phospholipid composition
Some proteins only
function when specific
lipids are present
Kink indicates that the tail is unsaturated,
Contains a cis-double bond
13

(A)

phosphatidylcholine

Lipid ComponentsSteroids
2) Steroids
- animals: cholesterol
- plants: plant steroids, some
cholesterol
- up to 1:1 ratio of cholesterol
and phospholipids
decreased mobility of
phospholipids
plasma membrane
less permeable
14

Lipid ComponentsGlycolipids
3) glycolipids

sugar groups attached

to lipid molecules

Lipids glycosylated in lumen of

Golgi apparatus
Glycolipids found mainly:
in the outer leaflet of the
plasma membrane

~ 5% of total lipids in outer

leaflet of plasma membrane
15

A membrane can be deformed without causing damage

Technique :Live cell imaging

Laser tweezers are used to
manipulate the membrane

http://www.dnatube.com/video/4161/Fluidity-of-the-Lipid-Bilayer

Reference:
Essential Cell Biology, 3rd Edition Alberts, Bray,
Hopkin, Johnson
16

Cell Membranes - fluid

Phospholipids rapidly:
diffuse laterally
within each leaflet

Phospholipids rarely:
move from one leaflet to other (flip-flop)
17

Membrane fluidity
Temperature

At lower temperatures lipid

bilayers become rigid (gel)

Phospholipid saturation:

The presence of cis-double bonds

allows the membrane to remain
fluid at lower temperatures

Length of phospholipid tails

Shorter hydrocarbon tails increase

fluidity at lower temperatures
(the lipid tails interact less)

Adapted from: Figure 10-12 Molecular Biology of the Cell ( Garland Science 2008)

Lipid movement to the other leaflet

enzymes in cell membrane - flip lipids from
one leaflet to other
eg. phospholipids synthesized in cytosolic
leaflet of endoplasmic reticulum
phospholipid translocators
rapid flip-flop of phospholipids
to non-cytosolic leaflet
Why needed?
Phospholipids synthesized in cytosolic
leaflet of endoplasmic reticulum
19

lumen

cytosol

Cytosolic and exoplasmic face

Asymmetry of the Lipid Bilayer

glycolipids - outer leaflet of plasma membrane

synthesis on luminal face of Golgi

- interaction of cell
environment
- protection from
conditions

with
harsh

specific phospholipids - cytosolic leaflet of PM

signalling

21

eg. Phosphatidylserine - bound by Protein kinase C

Membrane Proteins
Reading: Alberts p629-640

Cell Membrane Proteins

specific functions
associated with the lipid bilayer in different
ways

23

Transmembrane proteins
Amphiphilic

hydrophilic domains - aqueous

hydrophobic membrane-spanning domain
Most are glycosylated
Single-pass

1) single -helix
Multipass

2) Multiple -helices
3) rolled-up -sheet (-barrel)
more rigid
24

Techniques: How are these

structures identified?
X-ray Crystallography
determines 3D structure

Hydrophobicity plots:
Segments of 20-30 amino
acids with a high degree of
hydrophobicity can span the
bilayer.

Figure 10-22a Molecular Biology of the Cell ( Garland Science 2008)

Cell membrane proteins on one side

4) proteins anchored on cytosolic face by an
amphiphilic -helix
Why?

26

Lipid-anchored Membrane Proteins

5a) fatty acid chain anchor
myristate
N-terminal glycine
palmitate
Internal cysteine
5b) prenyl anchor
farnesyl or geranylgeranyl
C-terminal cysteine

27

Both types synthesized in cytosol

Both types directed to cytosolic face

Myristyl and Farnesyl Anchors

28

Lipid-anchored Membrane Proteins

6) GPI anchor (glycosylphosphatidylinositol)

synthesis in ER
end up on cell surface

29

Non-Covalent Interactions with

other Membrane Proteins
7 & 8) bound on either face
Peripheral membrane
proteins
Bound to other proteins on
either face
by non-covalent interactions

30

Techniques: Extraction of membrane proteins

Peripheral membrane proteins use gentle extraction
that does not destroy lipid bilayer
Integral membrane proteins:
destroy membrane with
detergents to extract
the protein

Figure 10-30 Molecular Biology of the Cell ( Garland Science 2008)

Techniques :Studying the properties of

integral membrane proteins

Figure 10-31 Molecular Biology of the Cell ( Garland Science 2008)

Lateral Diffusion of Membrane Proteins

Lateral diffusion within leaflet
no flip-flop
Study of protein movement
FRAP: Fluorescence Recovery
After Photobleaching

protein fused to GFP

(green fluorescent protein)

bleach small area by laser beam

measure GFP-membrane protein
movement into bleached area

33

Technique: Fluorescence Recovery After

Photobleaching

34

Lateral Diffusion of Membrane

Proteins
Video
Molecular Biology of the Cell, 5th Edition
10.6 FRAP

35

Mobility of membrane proteins

Different proteins have different mobility in the
membrane.
Some proteins have very limited mobility
Limitation of FRAP
Measures the mobility of a population of protein
molecules rather than an individual protein.

Using single molecule tracking

Proteins are seen to be restricted to domains
Removing cytoplasmic (and extracellualar?) portions
of the protein increases mobility.

Next
How the lipid bilayer and membrane proteins
regulate the movement of molecules across
membranes.

End