The book and slides are the main reference to study from

Chapter 5 :
plasma membrane: common to all cells that separates Internal
cytoplasm from the external environment and allows sometimes
incompatible chemical reactions to occur simultaneously
components of the plasma membrane:
• Lipid component - phospholipid bilayer
• Protein molecules
o Float like icebergs on a sea
o peripheral or integral:
▪ Peripheral: proteins are found on the inner surface
▪ Integral: proteins are partially or wholly embedded
(transmembrane) in the membrane, held by the
cytoskeleton and the extracellular matrix (ECM)
Phospholipid bilayer:
• External surface lined with
hydrophilic polar heads
• Cytoplasmic surface lined
with hydrophilic polar
heads
• Nonpolar, hydrophobic,
fatty-acid tails sandwiched
in between
Phospholipids: amphipathic molecules that have both hydrophilic and
hydrophobic regions
Cholesterol: a lipid that helps modify the fluidity of the membrane
“Plasma membrane is considered a mosaic because of the presence of
many proteins”
“ECM only found in animal cells and it’s Supporting the plasma
membrane ,and help in communication between cells”
Structure and Function of Membrane Proteins :
• Carbohydrate Chains:
o Contribute to cell’s “fingerprint”
o The two “Gs” play a role in cellular identification
“Important in tissue transplantation & blood transfusions”
▪ Glycoproteins: Proteins with carbohydrate chains
▪ Glycolipids: Lipids with carbohydrate chains
o carbohydrate chains exist only on the outside of the
membrane (ECM) and makes the membrane asymmetrical
Fluid Mosaic Model of the Plasma Membrane
Categorize of proteins “ Based on the way it binds to the membrane:"
• Channel proteins:
o Allow passage of molecules through membrane freely via
a channel in the protein “passive transport”
• Carrier proteins:
o Combine with the substance to be transported across the
plasma membrane to enter or exit the cell “requires
energy”
o active transport: When ATP is involved with actively
moving molecules through the membrane
o assisted movement of ions and polar molecules
• Cell recognition proteins:
o Glycoproteins and some glycolipids serve as surface
receptors for cell recognition and identification
o Help the body recognize foreign substances
o The major histocompatibility complex (MHC)
glycoproteins are different in everyone
• Receptor proteins:
o serve as binding or attachment sites
o has a specific shape so specific molecules can bind to them
o Pygmies are short due to their faulty PM hormone
receptors that cannot interact with growth hormone
• Enzymatic proteins:
o Catalyzes a specific reaction
▪ Adenylate cyclase is a membrane bound enzyme that
is involved in ATP metabolism
▪ Cholera toxin activates the adenylate cyclase enzyme
in the intestinal cells
• Junction proteins:
o Form various types of junctions between animal cells
o Signals of molecules passing through gap junctions
o Allow the cilia of cells lining the respiratory tract to beat at
the same time
 “Plasma membrane is selectively permeable that allows some
substances to move across the membrane and block others”
Aquaporins: proteins speed up water transport across the membrane
Active transport: when molecules move against their concentration
gradient with the expenditure of energy
Passive Transport: when molecules follow concentration gradient
Active vs. Passive:
• When the distribution of molecules is not equal, and we have a
gradient, there is a net movement of molecules along “down”
the gradient
• Active transport:
o Requires carrier protein
o Molecules move through the membrane against the
concentration gradient
o Requires energy in form of ATP
o Movement out of the cell involving changes of the
membranes and formation of vesicles is exocytosis
o Movement of materials into the cell is endocytosis
• Passive Transport:
o Diffusion: the net movement of molecules down a
concentration gradient
▪ net movement: movement from high to low
concentration
▪ Equilibrium: when net movement stops
▪ The rate of diffusion can be affected by:
 higher temperature → faster movement
 smaller molecules →easy movement
 high concentration → fast initial rate
 greater gradient differential→ fast diffusion
 Materials that move freely by diffusion:
 CO2 /O2 /Small lipid-soluble molecule
o Passive transport (carrier proteins):
▪ H2O (aquaporin)/ Glucose/ small ions/ amino acids
 Passage of Molecules into and out of the Cell:
Name Direction Requirement Examples
Diffusion Toward lower Concentration gradient Lipid-soluble
concentration molecules, and
gases
Facilitated Toward lower Channels or carrier and Some sugars, and
transport concentration concentration gradient amino acids
Active Toward higher Carrier plus energy Sugars, amino
transport concentration acids, and ions
Bulk Toward outside Vesicle utilization Macromolecules
transport or inside

Osmosis: Diffusion of water across a selectively permeable membrane

• Water can diffuse both ways across membrane,
but the solute cannot
• movement of water is toward high solute concentration
Osmotic pressure: the pressure that develops due to osmosis
Isotonic Solutions:
• no net movement of water
• Solute and water concentrations are equal on both sides
• There is no net gain or loss of water
Hypotonic Solutions:
• Concentration of solute in the solution is lower than inside the
• Cells placed in a hypotonic solution will swell
o Causes turgor pressure in plants
o cause animal cells to lyse
• Cells which exist in it use various mechanisms:
o contractile vacuoles to rid of excess water “Protozoans”
o Well-developed kidneys in freshwater fish to excrete large
volume of diluted urine
• Plant cells use osmotic pressure to:
o When plant cells immersed in water, the vacuole gain
water which increases the turgor pressure “ this pressure
help to keep the cell rigid”
Hypertonic solutions:
• Concentration of solute is higher in solution than inside the cell
• Cells placed in a hypertonic solution will shrink
• Plasmolysis: when the soil or water around them contains high
concentrations of salts or fertilizers
• Marine animals cope in various ways:
o Sharks increase/decrease urea in blood
o Fishes excrete salts across their gills
Facilitated Transport:
• Movement of molecules cannot pass directly through the
membrane lipids
• must combine with specific carrier proteins to move
• Follow concentration gradient
• No energy is required
The Na+ & K+ Pump:
• Uses ATP to move Na+ ions out of the cells and potassium ions
into the cell against their concentration gradients

bulk transport: transporting Macromolecules into or out of the cell

inside vesicles
• Vesicle formation requires ATP
• Exocytosis: vesicles formed from
Golgi apparatus fuse with plasma
membrane and secrete contents
o Hormones,
neurotransmitters, and
digestive enzymes are
secreted by exocytosis
Endocytosis: cells engulf substances into a pouch “becomes a vesicle”
• mechanisms of endocytosis:
o Phagocytosis: Large solid material taken in by endocytosis
▪ Cell eating
▪ Human white blood cells can engulf debris or viruses
▪ Vacuole may fuse with lysosomes, which degrade
the ingested material
▪ Examples: amoeba & macrophage
o Pinocytosis: Vesicles form around liquid or small particles
▪ Cell drinking
▪ Cell takes in a macromolecule
▪ Cells do not shrink in size because the loss of plasma
membrane due to pinocytosis is balanced by the
occurrence of exocytosis
o Receptor-Mediated Endocytosis: Specific form of
pinocytosis using receptor proteins and a coated pit
▪ macromolecules are taken into the cell via coated
vesicles that pinch from the plasma membrane
▪ Receptors for specific molecules are concentrated in
coated pits on the plasma membrane
▪ Coating detaches from vesicle, and uncoated vesicle
fuses with a lysosome
▪ selective and more efficient than pinocytosis
▪ heart attacks and atherosclerosis will cause because
LDL receptors cannot bind to the coated pit, thus the
cells are unable to take up cholesterol, and then the
access cholesterol accumulates in the circulatory
system