The Structure of the Cell Membrane 细胞膜结构.pptVIP

A soap molecule has a long hydrocarbon chain and a charged head. Soap will form a mono-molecular film on water. Agitating soapy water makes micelles. Soap bubbles are made from a double layer of soap molecules sandwiching a thin layer of water. Phospholipids, the main component of cell membranes, behave like soap molecules. Introduction A thin outer layer called the cell membrane surrounds all cells. This membrane has four main functions: allow the transport of raw materials into the cell allow the transport of manufactured products and wastes out of the cell prevent the entry of unwanted material into the cell prevent the leakage of essential matter out of the cell Introduction Cellular functions depend on a watery environment like the one that is found on the inside of the cell. In order to maintain their integrity, need to be surrounded by an environment through which water cannot flow. A membrane composed of fatty molecules serves this purpose. History of the Cell Membrane In 1924, using an electron microscope, two Dutch physicians, E. Gorter and F. Grendel found that the cell membrane was composed primarily of phospholipids (shown on the right). History of the Cell Membrane They deduced, based on the properties of phospholipids, that the cell membrane was in fact a bilayer. History of the Cell Membrane Cell membranes form because these phospholipid molecules spontaneously orient themselves in a double layer having a fatty inside and a water soluble outside. History of the Cell Membrane Phospholipids are made up of a glycerol backbone with a hydrophilic head region containing a phosphate group and a hydrophobic tail region containing a saturated fatty acid and an unsaturated fatty acid. The fact that it has both types of fatty acids ensures the cell membrane is fluid. History of the Cell Membrane By the 1930s experimental evidence showed that proteins were also part of the cell membrane. In 1935, James Danielli and Hugh Davson proposed the sandwich model: