PHR 171

CELL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

MEMBRANE STRUCTURE & DYNAMICS

By
DR. AMAL GALAL OMAR

Membrane structure & Dynamics

____________________________________________________
The cell membrane is defined as the barrier that surrounds the cytoplasm
and marks the boundary of the cell.
The cell membrane is selectively permeable; therefore it controls
molecules that flow in and out of the cell.
The cell membrane also transmits signals from outside the cell into the
cytoplasm as well as to intracellular organelles.
Concerning its structure, the cell membrane is a complex mixture of lipids,
proteins and carbohydrates arranged in a fluid mosaic structure with a
constant dynamic nature.

Membrane lipids form a bilayer that constitutes the main matrix of the
membrane. This lipid bilayer has embedded (integral) and attached
(peripheral) proteins. Membrane carbohydrates are short chain
oligosaccharides that are attached to membrane lipids (glycolipids), or
membrane proteins (glycoproteins).
1

Membrane lipids
The major lipids found in cell membranes are phosphoglycerides. They
constitute about 50-90% of the total membrane lipid content.
Phosphoglycerides are commonly called phospholipids, but this term is
not precise because there are other membrane lipids that also contain
phosphate (e.g. phosphatidyl inositol, phosphatidyl choline,).

Structure of membrane lipids:

Phosphoglycerides have 3 essential parts:
1. Glycerol (an alcohol with three carbons each having a hydroxyl
group).
2. Two fatty acids (2 long hydrocarbon chains of 16-18 carbons that
end with a carboxylic group) esterified to carbons 1 and 2 of glycerol
forming the non-polar tail.
3. Phosphoric acid esterified to carbon 3 of glycerol forming the polar
phosphate head.

Polar head

Non-polar tail

Membrane lipids are known to be amphipathic i.e. they have both

hydrophobic and hydrophilic properties:
1. The hydrocarbon tails face inward toward one another where there is
no water forming the hydrophobic core of the membrane. This
hydrophobic core inhibits the transport of hydrophilic structures such
as ions and polar molecules but enables hydrophobic molecules,
which can dissolve in the membrane and cross it easily.
2. The polar phosphate heads face outward toward the extracellular
fluid on one side and the cytoplasm on the other side forming the
hydrophilic surfaces of the membrane.
Fatty acids of cell membranes are either saturated (having only covalent
bonds in the hydrocarbon chain), or unsaturated (having one or more
double bonds in the hydrocarbon chain).

In saturated fatty acids, the hydrocarbon tails can pack highly while in
unsaturated fatty acids, the hydrocarbon chain has a kink at the position of
the double bond which results in a looser packing of the membrane.

This plays an important role in the relationship between temperature and

membrane fluidity. As the temperature decreases, the membrane can
solidify. The temperature at which a membrane solidifies depends on:
1. Fatty acid composition of the membrane: a membrane rich in
unsaturated hydrocarbon tails will remain fluid at a lower temperature
because the kinks at the position of the double bonds prevent the
hydrocarbon tails from packing as tightly as saturated hydrocarbon
tails.
2. Cholesterol content of the membrane: cholesterol is another major
membrane lipid that is common in all animal cells. It is incorporated in
the lipid bilayer to stabilize and support the membrane by making it
less fluid.

Cholesterol molecules are interspersed among

phospholipid tails in the bilayer.

Cholesterol is a steroid, lipid characterized by a

carbon skeleton consisting of four fused rings.

A cell can alter the lipid composition of its membrane as an adaptation to

change in temperature; e.g. winter wheat can tolerate extreme cold by
increasing the percentage of unsaturated fatty acids in autumn to prevent
membrane from solidifying during winter.

Dynamics of membrane lipids:

Membrane lipids are not static sheets of molecules locked rigidly in place
but are randomly mobile in the plane of the membrane. Rarely lipids can
flip-flop transversely across the membrane switching from one layer to the
other.

N.B. Lipids are asymmetrically arranged in the membrane bilayer according

to the cell function. Phosphatidyl inositol for example is located
exclusively in the inner layer of the membrane lipid bilayer which is logic
because this lipid is involved in signal transduction pathways that carry
signals into the cytoplasm. On the other hand, glycolipids are located
exclusively on the outer layer of the membrane lipid bilayer and are
responsible for the antigenic properties of cells.

Membrane proteins
Proteins constitute approximately 50% of the cell membrane mass. They
are polymers constructed of the same set of 20 amino acids.

Membrane proteins are classified into 2 categories:

1. Integral proteins, which are embedded in the lipid bilayer. They
include a variety of enzymes, receptors, ion channels, pumps, and
carriers.
2. Peripheral proteins, which are found on the surfaces of the bilayer.
Some of them participate in enzyme reaction and signaling reactions.
Others reinforce the fragile lipid bilayer by attaching it to the
cytoskeleton filaments.

Dynamics of membrane proteins:

Membrane proteins are much larger than membrane
lipids and move more slowly sometimes for significant
distances. Other membrane proteins are immobile
due to their attachment to the cytoskeleton.

Membrane carbohydrates
Membrane carbohydrates are branched oligosaccharides. Some of them
are bound to membrane lipids forming glycolipids. Most of them are
bonded to membrane proteins forming glycoproteins.

The oligosaccharides on the external side of the outer layer vary from one
cell to the other in the same individual which makes membrane
glycoproteins to function as surface antigens or markers.
This is of extreme importance in the success of blood transfusion or organ
transplantation which depends on the compatibility of blood group or
histocompatibility antigens, respectively.