TRANSPORT MECHANISM

STRUCTURAL COMPONENTS OF THE CELL MEMBRANE

I. CELL MEMBRANE STRUCTURE

 The cell membrane is primarily composed of a mix of proteins and lipids. Depending on its
location and role in the body, lipids can make up to anywhere from 20 to 80 percent of the
membrane, with the remainder being proteins. While lipids help to give membranes their
flexibility, proteins maintain and monitor the cell’s chemical climate and assist in the transfer of
molecules across the membrane.
 CELL MEMBRANE LIPIDS
 PHOSPHOLIPIDS
- A major component of cell membranes.
- They form a lipid bilayer in which their hydrophilic (attracted to water) head areas spontaneously
arrange to face the aqueous cytosol and the extracellular fluid, while their hydrophobic (repelled
by water) tail areas face away from the cytosol and the extracellular fluid.
- Phospholipids are considered amphipathic molecules since it has both hydrophilic and
hydrophobic parts.
 CHOLESTEROL
- A lipid component of animal cell membrane
- Are selectively dispersed between membrane phospholipids
- This helps to keep cell membranes to become stiff by preventing phospholipids to become closely
packed together.
 GLYCOLIPIDS
- Are located on cell membrane surfaces and have a carbohydrate sugar chain attached to them.
- They help the cell membrane to recognize other cells of the body.
 CELL MEMBRANE PROTEINS

 STRUCTURAL PROTEINS
- Help to give the cell support and shape.
 CELL MEMBRANE PROTEIN RECEPTORS
- Help cells communicate with the external environment through the use of hormones,
neurotransmitters and other signaling molecules.
 TRANSPORT PROTEINS
- Transport molecules across cell membrane through facilitated diffusion
 STRUCTURE OF THE CELL MEMBRANE AND ITS FUNCTIONS
- The biological membrane is present in both eukaryotic and prokaryotic cell.
- It is called cell membrane as it works as a barrier between the inner and outer surface of a cell.
- In animal cells, the plasma membrane is present in the outer most layer of the cell and in
Plant cell it is present just beneath the cell wall.

 PLASMA MEMBRANE
- It can be defined as a biological membrane or an outer membrane of a cell, which is composed of
two layers of phospholipids and embedded with proteins.
- It is a thin, semi-permeable membrane layer which surrounds the cytoplasm and other
constituents of the cell.
FUNCTIONS OF PLASMA MEMBRANE
1. It separates the contents of the cell from its outside environment and it regulates what enters and
exits the cell.
2. Plasma membrane plays a vital role in protecting the integrity of the interior of the cell by
allowing only selected substances into the cell and keeping other substances out.

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 3. It also serves as a base attachment for the cytoskeleton in some organisms and the cell wall in
others. Thus the cell membrane supports the cell and helps in maintaining the shapes of the cell.
4. The cell membrane is primarily composed of proteins and lipids. While lipids help to give
membranes their flexibility and proteins monitor and maintain the cell’s chemical climate and
assist in the transfer of molecules across the membrane.
5. The lipid bilayer is semi-permeable membrane, which allows only selected molecules to diffuse
across membranes.
CHARACTERISTICS OF PLASMA MEMBRANE
1. The plasma membrane (cell membrane) is made of two layers of phospholipids.
2. The plasma membrane has many proteins embedded in it.
3. The plasma membrane regulates the entry and exit of the cell.
4. The fundamental structure of the membrane is phospholipid bilayer and it forms a stable barrier
between two aqueous compartments.
5. The proteins present in the plasma membrane act as pumps, channels, receptors, enzymes or
structural components.
PLASMA MEMBRANE STRUCTURE
1. It is the boundary which separates the living and non living surroundings.
2. It is the phospholipids bilayer.
3. It is amphiphatic.
4. It is a fluid mosaic of lipids, proteins and carbohydrates.
5. It is a lipid bilayer which contains two layers of phospholipids, phosphate head is polar (water
loving), fatty acid tails non-polar (water fearing) and the proteins embedded in the membrane.
COMPONENTS OF PLASMA MEMBRANE
1. Proteins like glycoprotein which are used for cell recognition and act as receptors and antigens.
2. Proteins like glycolipids which are attached to phospholipids along with the sugar chains.
3. Lipids with short chain of carbohydrates which are attached to the extracellular side of the
membrane.
4. Phospholipid bilayer is made up of phosphate and lipids.

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