Summary

This document provides a detailed overview of the structure, function, and properties of cell membranes, focusing on their role in cellular biology and homeostasis. It includes a discussion on the components, visualization techniques, and different kinds of proteins.

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Cellular Biology & Homeostasis CELL MEMBRANE PART 1 VP Summer 2023 Clara Camargo, DVM LEARNING OBJECTIVES 1. Biological membranes: functions and properties 2. Components of cell membranes 3. Membrane proteins and their roles 4. Membrane lipids and the lipid bilayer (composition and struct...

Cellular Biology & Homeostasis CELL MEMBRANE PART 1 VP Summer 2023 Clara Camargo, DVM LEARNING OBJECTIVES 1. Biological membranes: functions and properties 2. Components of cell membranes 3. Membrane proteins and their roles 4. Membrane lipids and the lipid bilayer (composition and structure) 5. Cell membrane visualization techniques 6. Cell membrane phospholipids CELL MEMBRANE No biological membranes = No life! • regulates the movement of material into and out of the cell • facilitates electrical signaling between cells • defines the boundaries of organelles and separates complex chemical reactions •  multiple differing functions Cell membranes: “Good fences make good neighbors” Overview of cell membrane functions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URUJD5NEXC8 CELL MEMBRANE Plasma membrane, cytoplasmic membrane Define the external boundaries of a cell Are flexible to allow for growth and movement, self-sealing and selectively permeable to polar solutes Are central to both biological energy conservation and cell-to-cell communication Regulate the molecular traffic across boundary Can break and re-seal for fusion or fission In eukaryotic cells: compartmentalization to segregate processes and compartments Serve as attachment surface for cytoskeleton and ECS (extracellular structures) THE EUKARYOTE CELL: A “Membranous” Unit Cellular compartmentalization: Functional separation within the cell 1. Plasma membrane 1 Cytoplasm 5 4 3 2. Nuclear membrane (inner and outer) Nucleus 3. ER membrane 4. Golgi apparatus membrane 5. Mitochondrial membrane (inner and outer) 6. Peroxisomes and Lysosomes Endoplasmic reticulum 2 Lysosomes 6 5 Mitochondria Plasma membrane 1 CELL MEMBRANE - COMPARTMENTALIZATION 1. Separation of antiparallel processes • i.e. anabolic and catabolic processes can be held in separated compartments avoiding competition for the substrate or interference in the reactions Example: Fatty acid synthesis in cytosol and fatty acid oxidation in mitochondria 2. Separation of similar reactions serving different purposes • i.e. similar reactions for different purposes and must therefore be held in independent compartments Example: fatty acid oxidation • in mitochondria for energy production • in peroxisomes for heat production 3. Coordination of different reactions which are involved in the same pathway (energy efficiency) Example: TCA and electron transport chain are the central point of energy metabolism in cells and are located in the mitochondria CELL MEMBRANE - PROPERTIES • Separates the cellular interior from the exterior • Exchanges information with the environment in a controlled manner • Membranes are extremely dynamic • Membranes get information from the cell about metabolic status • Membranes are selective barriers, allow selective transport of molecules into and out of the cell • Membranes contain enzymes, transporters, receptors and other proteins https://vimeo.com/31411881 CELL MEMBRANE Membrane Fusion and Fission Central to many cellular processes involving organelles and the plasma membrane. Membrane Fusion: 2 separate lipid bilayers merge to become 1. • Example: Transport vesicles from the ER fusing with Golgi membranes Membrane Fission: Involves splitting of a membrane into 2 parts • Example: formation of vesicles by ER/Golgi apparatus to transport lipids and proteins to other organelles and to cell membrane  Both processes involve membrane reorganization without loss of continuity. CELL MEMBRANE - COMPONENTS Lipids - phospholipids, sterol, glycolipids about 50% of the mass of most animal cell membranes Proteins (transmembrane, peripheral) Carbohydrates (glycan groups) Water Divalent cations (Ca2+, Mg2+) Chemistry Libre Texts CELL MEMBRANE - PROTEINS Proteins that are part of or interact with biological membranes • Most membrane proteins are transmembrane and mediate many functions such as transport and catalysis of reactions (enzymes) • Some transmembrane proteins serve as structural links connecting the cytoskeleton through the lipid bilayer to either the extracellular matrix or to an adjacent cell • Others serve as receptors to detect and transduce signals Numerous different proteins are necessary for proper cell function and interaction  30% of genome‘s proteins are membrane proteins Membrane proteins are targets of over 50% of all modern medicinal drugs CELL MEMBRANE - Lipids Lipid bilayer is a relatively impermeable barrier to most water-soluble (polar) molecules Lipid molecules make up about 50% of the mass of most animal cell membranes. • Three main lipids:  Phospholipids (phosphoglycerides and sphingolipids)  Sterols (cholesterol)  glycolipids All lipid molecules in cell membranes are amphipathic (amphiphilic):  one hydrophilic (polar end)  one hydrophobic (nonpolar end)  Phospholipids are the most abundant membrane lipids CELL MEMBRANE - LIPID BILAYER Universal basis for membrane structure  The bilayer structure results of special properties of lipid molecules that cause their spontaneous assemblage into bilayers.  Common general structure: very thin film (average 5nm thick) of lipid and protein molecules, held together mainly by noncovalent interactions  Easily seen by electron microscopy. Specialized techniques are necessary (x-ray diffraction, freezefracture) to study details of its organization. Fluid mosaic model of cell membranes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKN5sq5dtW4 Fluid, dynamic structures with most their molecules able to move in the plane of the membrane  FLUID MOSAIC MODEL CELL MEMBRANE – Thin layer A red blood cell’s membrane Electron micrograph Lehninger- Principles of Biochemistry Viewed in cross-section: All cell membranes share a characteristic trilaminar appearance: plasma membrane appears as three-layer structure, 5-8 nm thick Trilaminar image consists of two electron-dense layers separated by a less dense central region. An electron micrograph of an E. coli cell highlighting the width of the cell inner and outer membranes and the cell wall. Zoom in: a schematic of the lipid bilayer. The red circle denotes the hydrophilic head consisting of a polar phosphoglycerol group and the pink lines represent the hydrocarbon chains forming a tight hydrophobic barrier excluding water as well as polar or charged compounds. Source: A. Briegel et al. Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci., 106:17181, 2009. CELL MEMBRANE Membrane FYI % Lipids % Proteins % Carbohydrates Nuclear membrane (Rat) 35 59 2-4 Liver cell (Rat) 42 53 5-10 Liver cell (Mouse) 54 46 3 Erythrocytes (Human) 43 49 8 Outer mitochondrial membrane 48 52 2-4 Inner mitochondrial membrane 24 75 1-2 Gram-positive bacteria 24 75 1 CELL MEMBRANE – Prokaryotes vs Eukaryotes Bacterial plasma membranes are often Most eukaryotic cells (in contrast) are more composed of one main type of phospholipid varied, containing large amounts of and contain no cholesterol (with some rare cholesterol and mixtures of different exceptions) phospholipids  Their mechanical stability is steadied by an overlying cell wall  phytosterol  fungal sterol  phytosterol Lehninger- Principles of Biochemistry CELL MEMBRANE – Micelles and bilayers Shape and amphipathic nature of lipid molecules:  causes their formation into bilayers spontaneously in aqueous environments RECAP: • Hydrophilic molecules: dissolve readily in water due to their charged groups, or uncharged polar groups, which form either favourable electrostatic interactions, or hydrogen bonds, with water molecules • Hydrophobic molecules are insoluble in water due to most or all of their atoms being uncharged and nonpolar and therefore unable to form energetically favourable interactions with water molecules Lipid molecules assemble with their hydrophobic tails in the interior and hydrophilic heads outside to water  Can do this in two ways: 1. Spherical micelles 2. Bimolecular sheets- bilayers CELL MEMBRANE – Micelles and Bilayers Lipids spontaneously form micelles or bilayers in an aqueous environment • Cone-shaped amphiphilic molecules (FA) form micelles, • Cylinder-shaped molecules (phospholipids) form bilayers CELL MEMBRANE The spontaneous closure of a phospholipid bilayer to form a sealed compartment is energetically most favorable. Why? Closed structure is stable as it avoids the exposure of the hydrophobic hydrocarbon tails to water (which would be energetically unfavourable). This provides the bilayer‘s self-healing property: all free edges are avoided by closing in on itself. CELL MEMBRANE - FYI Nanoencapsulation of therapeutic agents increases their efficacy, specificity and targeting ability. Nanoencapsulation techniques: for drug delivery systems, feed additives, cosmetics bioactives… FYI Liposomal mixture of Vitamin E derivatives, phosphocholine, phosphatidylserine and cholesterol https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4464443/ Slow release of drugs i.e., Bupivacaine Butorphanol CELL MEMBRANE Techniques for visualizing cells: Electron microscopy (EM) 1. Scanning electron microscope (SEM): directly produces an image of the three-dimensional structure of the surface of a specimen 2. Transmission electron microscope (TEM): a beam of electrons is transmitted through a specimen to form an image, capturing fine detail 3. Freeze-fracture and freeze-etch electron microscopy: provide views of surfaces inside the cell VIDEO: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transmission_electron_microscopy CELL MEMBRANE – Visualization techniques SEM TEM Comparison between a scanning electron micrograph (SEM, left) and transmission electron micrograph (TEM, right) of keratinocyte skin cells. Large nucleus (blue). In the TEM image the cells' cytoplasm is rich in filaments of the protein cytokeratin (dark brown). Source: science photo library SEM TEM Comparison between a scanning electron micrograph (SEM, left) and transmission electron micrograph (TEM, right) of a macrophage white blood cell. In the TEM image the cell's nucleus is light brown. Mitochondria (purple) in the cell's cytoplasm. Lysosomes (red) contain enzymes for digesting foreign particles. Source: Steve Gschmeissner/ Science photo library THE FREEZE-FRACTURE TECHNIQUE: A special method to study the cell membrane Views of the internal organization of membranes are possible, expanding our understanding of the cell membrane It physically breaks apart (fracturing) a frozen biological sample Structural detail exposed by the fracture plane is then coated with a metal layer and visualized by transmission electron microscopy THE FREEZE-FRACTURE TECHNIQUE: Trachea mucous membrane. Colored scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a fractured mucous membrane of a trachea (windpipe). The upper epithelial surface is covered in a mixture of secretory and ciliated cells (pink), beneath which is the tall columnar epithelium (purple). At bottom is connective tissue (lamina propria, brown), which is perforated by blood vessels, which contain red blood cells (erythrocytes, red). Magnification: x500 when printed 10 centimeters wide Source: Steve Gschmeissner/ Science photo library CELL MEMBRANE - PHOSPHOLIPIDS • Polar head group and two hydrophobic hydrocarbon tails (fatty acids) • Tails can differ in length (normally: 14-24 C) • One tail usually contains one or more cis-double bonds (unsaturated), while other does not (saturated). • Double bond creates small kink in tail. • Differences in length and saturation of fatty acid tails affect the ability of phospholipid molecules to pack together, and so guarantee the membrane fluidity. CELL MEMBRANE - PHOSPHOLIPIDS The parts of a typical phospholipid molecule symbol schematic formula Space-filling model CELL MEMBRANE - PHOSPHOLIPIDS Four major phospholipids predominate in the Other phospholipids, such as phosphatidylinositol, plasma membrane of many mammalian cells (make are present only in small quantities, but are very up more than half lipid mass in most membranes): important functionally (e.g. cell signaling) 1. Phosphatidylcholine 2. Phosphatidylethanolamine 3. Phosphatidylserine* 4. Sphingomyelin *phosphatidylserine carries a net negative charge, other phospholipids are electrically neutral at physiologic pH, carrying one positive and one negative charge. The bilayer is asymmetric with unequal distribution of phospholipids, other lipids, and membrane proteins between the inner and the outer layers. CELL MEMBRANE Four major phospholipids found in mammalian plasma membranes (A-C: phosphoglycerides; D: sphingolipid) CELL MEMBRANE •• Extracellular space ••• • • Outer membrane layer Inner membrane layer • Intracellular space (Cytoplasm) • Phosphatidylcholine Phosphatidylethanolamine Sphingomyelin Phosphatidylserine HAPPY STUDYING Clara Camargo, DVM [email protected] ©2021 Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine. All rights reserved.

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