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Membranes and
Membrane Transport

Lesson Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this lecture, students should be
able to:

understand the Properties of Membranes

understand the Fluid Mosaic Model

understand the Membrane Transport

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What is Biological membrane?

A barrier that serves as a boundary and
compartmentalize cells and organelles
Often consist of phospholipids bilayer and
associated protein
namely integral and peripheral protein that
functions for communication and transportation of
chemical and ions

Membrane Composition
A typical biological membrane would contain these in
their mass:
Content

Amount

Lipid
(Phopspholipid, Glycosphingolipids, and
cholesterol)

20-50%

Protein

50-70 %

Carbohydrate
(as a component in glycoprotein and
glycolipid)

less than 10%

Composition

of biological membrane varies among

species and different type of cell types

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Barrier to
toxic
materials
Carry out
energy
transduction

Facilitate
cell
motion

Function
of
membrane
Control
transport of
nutrients

Maintaining
proton
concentration
gradient

Mediate cellcell
interactions
through
receptors

Lipids Form Ordered Structures

Spontaneously in Water
Very few lipids exists as monomers
Monolayers arrange lipid tails in the air
Micelles bury the nonpolar tails in the center of a
spherical structure
Micelles reverse in nonpolar solvents

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Phospholipid

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Composition of Lipid Bilayer

The structure can be: i) rigid and ordered or
ii) fluid and disordered depends on composition
The packing of the phospholipids in membrane can
change from order to disorder and its reversible
Larger molecules components tend to be found in
the outer layer rather than inner one
Presence of saturated fatty acids and cholesterol can
enhance order and rigidity
*Plant cells has more unsaturated fatty acids
compare to animals cell

How does the composition of the

bilayer affect its properties?
The arrangement of the hydrocarbon (HC) interior of
the bilayer can be ordered and rigid/ disordered and
fluid.
In saturated fatty acids, linear arrangement of the HC
chain close packing of the molecules- rigidity.
Unsaturated fatty acids, kinks cause disorder packing
more open structure.
Unsaturated fatty acids with cis double bonds causes
greater fluidity in the bilayer.

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The fused-ring structure of cholesterol rigid- so,

stabilizes the extended straight chain of saturated
fatty acid by van der Waals interactions.
Plant contains high lipid portion - >unsaturated
fatty acid compare to the animal membranes.
Animal membranes are less fluid/ > rigid than plant
membranes.
Prokaryotes membranes the most fluid
*Cholesterol is a very important structural
component of cells and helps in adapting to changes
in temperature.

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Mechanical stability :Cholesterol enhances

mechanical stability of lipid bilayers largely due to its
rigidity arising from the planar steroid ring

The Fluid Mosaic Model Describes

Membrane Dynamics

S. J. Singer and G. L. Nicolson

The phospholipid bilayer is a fluid matrix
The bilayer is a two-dimensional solvent
Lipids and proteins can undergo rotational and
lateral movement
Two classes of proteins:
peripheral proteins (extrinsic proteins)
integral proteins (intrinsic proteins)

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Its the main structural component in plasma

membrane and internal membranes of
eukaryotic cells
Lipid bilayers are bind through non-covalent
interactions making it more flexible and self-heal
It has 5-6 nm thickness and bilayer
In each layer, the hydrophilic (polar) head group are
in contact with the aqueous and the hydrophobic
(non-polar) head will point towards the interior
bilayer

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Lipid Bilayer Motion

The lipid bilayer are always in motion but
lesser in rigid ones and greater in fluid form
Increase in temperature (heat) increase
disorder
Transition temperature is the temperature at
which a material changes from one crystal
(solid) state to another.

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Membranes Undergo Phase Transitions

The "melting" of membrane lipids
Transition temperature value is higher in more
rigid and order membrane
Below a certain transition temperature,
membrane lipids are rigid and tightly packed
Above the transition temperature, lipids are
more flexible and mobile
The transition temperature is characteristic of
the lipids in the membrane
Only pure lipid systems give sharp, well-defined
transition temperatures

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How does the membrane of certain organism

adapt to survive?
Biological membrane possess fluidity properties
which depends on the composition of the bilayer:
To avoid membrane rigidity : less amount of
saturated fatty acid and cholesterol in the
membrane bilayer
To ensure fluidity of membrane (flexible) : More
amount of unsaturated fatty acid in membrane
bilayer

Motion in the Bilayer

Lipid chains can bend, tilt and rotate
Lipids and proteins can migrate ("diffuse") in
the bilayer
Frye and Edidin proved this (for proteins),
using fluorescent-labelled antibodies
Lipid diffusion has been demonstrated by
NMR and EPR (electron paramagnetic
resonance) and also by fluorescence
measurements

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Peripheral Proteins
Peripheral proteins are not strongly bound to
the membrane
Peripheral protein are loosely attached to one
surface of the membrane by H-bonds or
electrostatic attractions
They can be easily dissociated through change
of pH (solvent with salt concentration)
Can also be dissociated with mild detergent
treatment

Integral Membrane Proteins

are firmly anchored in the membrane.
Integral proteins are strongly imbedded in the
bilayer
They can only be removed from the
membrane by denaturing the membrane
(organic solvents, or strong detergents)
Often transmembrane but not necessarily
Examples - Glycophorin, bacteriorhodopsin

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Integral membrane protein

Transport Through Membrane

Lipid bilayer are generally impermeable to ions and
polar molecules
Therefore specific membrane transport protein is
required:
Divided into 2 categories:
Passive Transport
Simple Diffusion
Facilitated Diffusion
Active Transport
Primary active transport
Secondary active transport

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Protein Transport
Molecules are transported across cell membranes in
several ways and proteins play a role in most of
them.
In simple diffusion, small, uncharged molecules cross
the membrane without a carrier protein.
In facilitated diffusion, substances bind to a carrier
protein.
Both are passive transport as they dont require any
energy.

Both categories are passive transport as they

dont require any energy.
Substance move from region of higher
concentration to one with lower
concentration
Movement will be based on concentration
gradient

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Passive Transport
In simple diffusion, small, uncharged molecules
cross the membrane without a carrier protein
(O2, CO2, N2)
In facilitated diffusion, substances had to bind to
a carrier protein to cross the membrane
Ex: glucose passing through using carrier protein
called glucose permease

Active Transport
Moving substance from lower to higher concentration,
against a concentration gradient.
Need to use carrier protein and energy source to move
solutes (such ions, glucose etc.) against gradient

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Primary active transport

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Active Transport
In primary active transport, the energy is
derived directly from the breakdown of ATP.
In the secondary active transport, the energy
is derived secondarily from energy that has
been stored in the form of ionic
concentration differences between the two
sides of a membrane

End of lecture

Acknowledgement:
1. Azani Saleh
2. Reena Rashid

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