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Corrina Perez
Hazel Owens
Cell Membrane
http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/cells/plasmamembrane/plasmamembrane.html
• Cell membranes are composed of proteins and lipids.
• Since they are made up of mostly lipids, only certain
substances can move through.
spmbiology403.blogspot.com
•Phospholipids are the most abundant type of lipid
found in the membrane. Phospholipids are made
up of two layers, the outer and inner layers. The
inside layer is made of hydrophobic fatty acid tails,
while the outer layer is made up of hydrophilic
polar heads that are pointed toward the water.
academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu
•Membrane structure relies on the tendency of fatty acid
molecules to spread on the surface of water.
• Membrane proteins (which take up half of the
membrane) determine what gets into and leaves the cell.
•Glycolipids are found on the outer part of the cell
membrane.
Single Chain vs. Phospholipid
• Single chain lipids were assumed to be the first of those to form cell
membranes with the more complex phospholipids evolving later
• Phospholipids can be synthesized in an abiotic environment without
enzymes now
• Phosphoplipid bilayers now make up the plasma cell membranes that
regulate movement into and out of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.
Single chain lipid
http://web.nestucca.k12.or.us/nvhs/staff/whitehead/homewor
http://clincancerres.aacrjournals.org/content/11/5/2018/F1.
k.htm
expansion
Types of Lipids
• Today Plasma Membranes
are made primarily of
phospholipids
• It is thought that early
membranes may have
been made of simpler fatty
acids.
http://exploringorigins.org/fattyacids.html
Properties of Fatty Acids
• They are Ampipathic, meaning that
they have a hydrophobic (“water
hating”) end and a hydrophilic (water
loving”) end.
•Hydrophobic molecules are nonpolar.
They prefer other neutral or non‐polar
molecules and avoid polar molecules,
such as water. i.e. oil and vinegar
http://www.cool‐science‐fair‐experiments.com/oil‐and‐vinegar‐separation‐
experimen/
•When fatty acids or phospholipids are put into an aqueous
solution, they will self‐assemble into a ball. Their hydrophobic
ends will face inward and hydrophilic
Micelles
• Micelles are basically
spheres of fatty acids.
• They will self‐assemble
in an aqueous solution
in low concentrations
• Their hydrophilic ends
point outward making
contact with the water
and the hydrophobic http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Micelle_scheme‐en.svg
ends cluster together.
Vesicles
• Research from the Stoztak Lab at Massachusetts General Hospital
has shown that micelles can form vesicles under the right conditions
(pH, concentration, etc.) (http://genetics.mgh.harvard.edu/szostakweb/researchVesicles.html )
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Lip
osome_scheme‐en.svg
•Vesicles are membrane‐enclosed sacks that form in aqueous solutions
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vesicle_(biology) )
•Once formed, phospholipid vesicles are highly stable
•Fatty acid lipids are much more dynamic (http://exploringorigins.org/fattyacids.html )
Early Vesicles
• Vesicles made of fatty acids
are stable, but very
dynamic. Fatty acids are
constantly flipping in and
out of the membrane.
• This may have provided the
opportunity for other
monomers or
macromolecules to enter
the vesicle.
http://genetics.mgh.harvard.edu/szostakweb/exploringOriginsDownloads/p
rotocell.jpg
Vesicle Research
• In a cooperative effort from Harvard and other genetic research
institutions efforts are being made to replicate working vesicles from
plasma membranes. http://genetics.mgh.harvard.edu/szostakweb/researchVesicles.html
http://www.hms.harvard.edu/dms/prospective/AboutDMS.html
Early Earth
• Some scientists propose that early earth had the
capacity to form fatty acids, most likely near
hydrothermal vents
• Clays are thought to have played a role in
catalyzing the formation of fatty acid tails from H
and CO2 gases.
• In large enough quantities, these fatty acids have
been shown to self‐assemble into micelles, or
vesicles
(http://exploringorigins.org/fattyacids.html )
Early Earth
• Research has shown that the clay
montmorillonite can catalyze the formation of
vesicle formation (http://exploringorigins.org/fattyacids.html )
• The vesicle is crucial to the formation of the
protocell and is thought to be the precursor to
the cell membrane
• Today, however, plasma membranes are
synthesized and regulated by the cell.
Cell Membranes and Technology
• European Researcher Pascal Jonkheijm is working to create artificial cell
membranes on microchips to better understand how cells communicate
with each other
• Jonkheijm believes that the knowledge he gains can be a stepping stone
into regenerative research. http://www.nanowerk.com/news/newsid=18101.php
http://www.utnieuws.utwente.nl/new/?artikel_id=76814