CELL AND

MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
THE CELL MEMBRANE AND IT’S FUNCTIONS
 Cell Membrane
• This is a double layer of lipids and proteins.

• It surrounds a cell and separates it’s cytoplasm from the environment.

• It is selectively permeable (it controls what enters and exits the cell).

• All cells have a cell membrane.

• The cell membrane is also called the plasma membrane.

 Structure of the cell membrane
• The bilayer is formed via an arrangement of phospholipids

• The hydrophobic tails face inward whilst, the hydrophilic heads face outwards.

• The cell membranes contains: proteins, phospholipids, glycoproteins, glycolipids

and cholesterol..
 Fluid mosaic model
• A mosaic of proteins is embedded into fluid lipid bilayer.

• The components of this membrane are in constant motion.

Diagram showing the cell membrane
 Roles of cell membrane components
Cholesterol
• Regulates membrane fluidity by preventing the membrane from being overly fluid at high
temperatures.

• Cholesterol also decreases membrane permeability by filling in the spaces between

hydrocarbon chains of phospholipids.

• increases the mechanical stability of the membrane.

Its rigid steroid ring structure interferes with the motions of the hydrocarbon chains of
phospholipids, thus enhancing the mechanical stability of the membrane.
 
Phospholipids
• Provides basic structure and permeability

Proteins
• Facilitated diffusion- a protein acts almost like a channel to allow molecules that cannot fit
across the phospholipid bilayer to diffuse into/out of the cell

• Active transport- proteins are used to move particles across the membrane from low to high
concentration, using energy.

• As receptor molecules which take signals from things like hormones.

Glycoproteins
• Act as cell-surface receptors - specifically for hormones & neurotransmitters.

• They also act as recognition sites for the cell as they are able to recognise other cell’s specific
glycoproteins and glycolipids (very important in helping WBC in recognising and destroying
foreign pathogens.

• They are also crucial in helping cells attach to each other in order to form tissues.

Glycolipids
• To Stabilise the cell surface membrane by forming hydrogen bonds with the water molecules
both inside and outside the cell membrane.

• The cell it plays a crucial role in acting as a recognition site (e.g lysosomes can recognise its
organism’s own cells).

• It can also help the cells attach to other cells and form tissues, this is important for organ and
system formation.
 Processes carried out by the cell
membrane
Diffusion
• The process by which molecules and ions move into out of and around the cell.

• It occurs as a result of a random movement of molecules or ions .

• It occurs through a concentration gradient.

Osmosis
• It’s a special type of diffusion,

• It refers to the movement of water molecules through a selectively permeable membrane that
separates solutions of different concentration.

Passive Transport
• A process by which the direction of net movement by solution.

Active Transport
• The transport of substances across a membrane against a concentration gradient or
electrochemical gradient.
Facilitated Diffusion
• The passage of ions and polar molecules in the direction dictated by the concentration gradient.

• With aid from specific transport proteins embedded in the lipid I quiz

Exocytosis
• The process by which particulate and dissolved,

• It encloses it into a vesicle danger

Endocytosis
• Particulate matter and substance are taken is bulk.

• The plasma membrane bulges inward to form a pocket to enclose the substance and form a
vesicle, it then migrates to the interior of the room.
Cell diffusion
Facilitated Cell Diffusion