07_deaillectout.docVIP

Chapter 7 Membrane Structure and Function Lecture Outline Overview: Life at the Edge The plasma membrane separates the living cell from its surroundings. This thin barrier, 8 nm thick, controls traffic into and out of the cell. Like all biological membranes, the plasma membrane is selectively permeable, allowing some substances to cross more easily than others. The formation of a membrane that encloses a solution different from the surrounding solution while still permitting the uptake of nutrients and the elimination of waste products was a key event in the evolution of life. The ability of the cell to discriminate in its chemical exchanges with its environment is fundamental to life. It is the plasma membrane and its component molecules that make this selectivity possible. Concept 7.1 Cellular membranes are fluid mosaics of lipids and proteins. The main macromolecules in membranes are lipids and proteins, but carbohydrates are also important. The most abundant lipids are phospholipids. Phospholipids and most other membrane constituents are amphipathic molecules, which have both hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions. Membrane models have evolved to fit new data. The arrangement of phospholipids and proteins in biological membranes is described by the fluid mosaic model. In this model, the membrane is a fluid structure with a “mosaic” of various proteins embedded in or attached to a double layer (bilayer) of phospholipids. Models of membranes were developed long before membranes were first seen with electron microscopes in the 1950s. In 1915, membranes isolated from red blood cells were chemically analyzed and found to be composed of lipids and proteins. In 1925, E. Gorter and F. Grendel reasoned that cell membranes must be phospholipid bilayers. The molecules in the bilayer are arranged such that the hydrophobic fatty acid tails are sheltered from water while the hydrophilic phosphate groups interact with water. Actual membranes adhere more strongly to water than