Cell Physiology

Dr. Kyaimon Myint

Physiology Department
University Malaya
 Lecture Objectives

• Basic Cell structure

• Organelles and their functions
• Structure and Functions of cell membrane
• Transport processes across cell membrane
Passive, active, special
• Distribution of ion between extracellular and
intracellular fluids
• Resting Membrane Potential
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 Total Body Water
and
Body Fluid Compartments

• The chief constituent of living tissue is……..

Water
• The percentage of water varies with sex, age
and lean body mass

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Approximate Composition of the body

Normal Normal
adult adult
man women

Water % 65- 70 55- 60

Fat % 5 18

Lean (Fat free) body mass 25 22

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 Body Fluid Distribution

Intracellular

K+ PO4=
Prot-
Extracellular
Na+
Cl-

Interstitial

Intravascular ‘plasma’
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The internal environment

• Is the fluid environment of the cells

• Thus, ECF constitutes
‘the internal environment’

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Cell Structure and Function

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Basic structure:
• Size: 10-20 m
• Greatly varies in size and shape according to
their function

Physical structure:
• Organelles: nuclear and cytoplasmic
• Inclusion bodies
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Chemical structure

• Water (70- 80%) …….. Act as a medium for chemical

reactions and transport of
substances
• Electrolytes: Cations: K+ , Na++, Mg++
Anions: HCO3=, PO4=, Cl-
• Proteins (10- 20%)
• Lipids
• Carbohydrates

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Nuclear Organelles

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Cytoplasmic membranous organelles
• Cell Membrane
• Endoplasmic reticulum
• Mitochondria
• Golgi apparatus or complex
• Lysosomes
• Peroxisomes

Cytoplasmic Non- membranous organelles

• Ribosomes
• Centrioles
• Microtubules and microfilaments 13
Mitochondria

‘Power- generating units’

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 ‘Intracellular
circulatory
System’

Sites of synthesis Metabolic Functions: as site of

of Protein such as • Steroid synthesis
hormones • Detoxification e. g. in liver cells
• Glycoprotein synthesis

As sarcoplasmic reticulum: plays role in

initiating contraction and relaxation of
skeletal and cardiac muscle
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 Functions:

• Directs intracellular
trafficking of proteins
by attaching carbohydrate
‘destination labels’

Particularly prominent in actively secreting cells

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Lysosomes
Functions:

Housekeeping Role

• Defense and scavenger function

by digesting the phagocytosed
foreign particles
• Engulf and remove worn- out
component of the cells
• Autolysis of dead cells
• Help in cellular differentiation
and regression of tissue
Contains variety of enzymes;
can cause destruction of ‘Digestive system of the cell’
most cellular components
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Defense and scavenger function
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Microtubules and Microfilaments
Functions:

• Provides tracks
along which
substances can move
‘Intracellular traffic’
• Maintain cell shape
‘Cytoskeleton’
• Play role in muscle
contraction and
movement of microvilli
• help cell to resist
external pressure
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Cell Membrane
Dynamic fluid mosaic model

thickness: 6-10 nm
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Characteristics of Cell Membrane

‘Amphiphatic molecule’

Semi permeable/
Selective permeability

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Cell Membrane Proteins
• Mostly glycoproteins
1) Integral (intrinsic) Proteins
…. Integral components of the membrane
…. Pass through the membrane
…. Many specific functions
2) Peripheral Proteins
…. Attach inside and outside of the membrane
…. Weakly bound to integral protein
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 Functions of Cell Membrane
ANTIGENS

Seperates
ECF
from
ICF

Regulates movement
Connects
of substances
adjacent cells Binding sites for Catalyzing
• channels
• neurotransmitters reactions
(voltage-,ligand-,
• hormones
mechanically-gated)
• drugs
• carriers
• pumps
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Transport Proteins: Functional Classification

Transport only Moves 2 or more Counter transporter:

one substances, substances in the same Moves 2 or more
direction depends direction different substances
on the gradient Eg. Sodium dependent in opposite direction
Eg. Glucose glucose transporter (SGLT) Eg. Sodium Potassium
transporter (GLUT) in intestinal mucosa and Pump
in muscle cells renal tubular cells

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Intercellular Connections
2 Types of Junctions:

• That tie cells together

giving strength and
stability to tissues
… Tight junction
… Desmosomes
… Hemidesmosomes
• That permit transfer
of ions and molecules
from one cell to another
… Gap Junction

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Holds adjacent cell, usually in Prevents free movement of
constantly stretched areas substances between cells
(e.g. skin)
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Forms protein channels between cells
Allows transfer of electrical activity
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Transport Across Cell Membrane

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Passive Transport Mechanisms

• Diffusion
Simple or free diffusion
Facilitated or carrier- mediated diffusion
Non ionic diffusion
• Osmosis

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Diffusion
Continuous random
movement of molecules and
ions from a region of higher
concentration to a region of
lower concentration
along concentration or
chemical gradient;

or in case of ions, to an area

having the opposite charge
along electrical gradient
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Facilitated Diffusion

Is the passive transport of substances

across the plasma membrane with the help
of transport proteins such as the channel
protein and the carrier protein.

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• Small uncharged Large, uncharged molecules
polar (hydrophilic) bind to a protein, triggering
molecules such as Some polar and
charged molecules a change in protein shape
CO2 diffuse rapidly that transport across the
• Lipid soluble and such as water
diffuse through membrane.
non- polar (hydrophobic) Glucose enters the cell by
molecules such as O2, protein channels
this transport.
N2 diffuse with ease

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 Factors affecting Diffusion
Q = rate for diffusion
Q = D (C1-C2)
D = diffusion coefficient
C1 - C2 = concentration gradient
• Concentration gradient
• Electrical gradient
• Size of molecules
• Lipid solubility
• Surface area
• Thickness of membrane
• Temperature
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Osmosis
• the movement of water molecules from an area of
high concentration to an area of low concentration
across a membrane selectively permeable to it

Water
• a polar molecule
• size 0.3nm
• crosses membrane very rapidly or through
channels (aquaporins)

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Osmotic pressure
The pressure required to stop movement of water
(osmosis); Unit = mmHg
• Depends on the number rather than type of
particles in a solution
Number of particles in a solution depends on:
• i. Molarity of molecules in a solution
• ii. Whether the molecule dissociates or not in
solution

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 Units for Measuring Solute Concentration

• The concentration of osmotically active

particles is expressed in Mole or Osmoles

• Mole = g molecular weight of a substance

molecular weight of substance in grams

• 1 osml =
number of freely moving particles
each molecule liberate in solution

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For non-dissociable molecules

• 1 osmol = 1 mol of solute particles

• 1 M solution of glucose has
concentration of 1 Osm (1 osmol per liter)

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For molecules that dissociate in solution
Osmolarity of the solution (Osm/L) =

Concentration in No. of solutes

X
molarity per litre after dissociation

Eg. In solution, 1 M Na+ Cl- dissociates into

1 M Na+ & 1 M Cl- ions

•1 M solution of Na+ Cl- = 1 Osm/L Na+ + 1 Osm/L Cl-

= 2 osmol / liter
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 Osmolarity

• Is the measure of solute concentration

• Defined as the number of osmoles per liter of
solution (Osmol/L)

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 Osmolality

• Is the number of osmoles of per kilogram of

solvent (osmol/kg)
• Not affected by volume of various solutes and
temperature

• Normal plasma osmolality: 290 _+ 5 mOsm/Kg

or mmol/l

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Tonicity

• Osmolal concentration of Plasma

• Is used to describe the osmolality of solution
relative to plasma
• Is the concentration of only the solutes that
cannot cross the membrane
‘Only considers the non-penetrable solutes’
Permeant solutes ….. do not affect tonicity
Impermeant solutes ….. do affect it
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Isotonic solution
• contains 300 mOsmol/L of non penetrating solutes,
regardless of the concentration of membrane -
penetrating solutes

Hypertonic solution
• contains greater than 300 mOsmol/L of
non penetrating solutes

Hypotonic solution
• contains less than 300 mOsmol/L of
non penetrating solutes

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Isosmotic solution
• solution containing 300 mOsmol/L of solutes,
regardless of its composition of membrane -
penetrating and non- penetrating solutes

Hyperosmotic solution
• solution containing greater than 300 mOsmol/L of
solutes,
regardless of its composition of membrane -
penetrating and non- penetrating solutes

Hyposmotic solution
• solution containing less than 300 mOsmol/L of solutes,
regardless of its composition of membrane -
penetrating and non- penetrating solutes
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 Filtration

Process in which fluid is forced through a membrane or

barrier (a capillary wall) due to difference in hydrostatic
pressure on the two sites
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Active Transport Mechanisms:
• Primary Active Transport
Sodium- Potassium pump
H+ - K + ATPase
Ca++ ATPase
• Secondary Active Transport
Sodium- Dependent glucose Transport
Sodium- Dependent calcium Transport
• Endocytosis, Exocytosis, Vesicular transport
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Sodium- Potassium Pump

• One of the major energy- using processes in

the body
• Found in almost all cells
• Extrudes 3 Na+ from the cell and take 2 K+ into
it (coupling ratio= 3:2) for each mole of ATP
hydrolysed
‘ELECTROGENIC’

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H+ - K+ ATPase
• Extrudes H+ from the cells in exchange for K+
• Found in acid- secreting cells in the gastric
mucosa and the renal tubules

Ca++- ATPase
• Pumps Ca++ out of cytoplasm into the
endoplasmic reticulum in skeletal and
cardiac muscle cells

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Secondary Active Transport
‘the transport of a substance is coupled to active
transport of Na+’
Na+- K+ pump maintains
the Na+ gradient, and
the energy of this gradient
drives the carrier which
transports both that
substance (either into or
out of the cells) and
the Na+ (into the cells) e.g. Sodium dependent glucose
transport in intestinal and
renal tubular cells
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 The process by which proteins and large molecules enter the cells
without disruption of the cell membrane

Transport of large particulate Transport of large Responsible for internalization

matter such as bacteria, dead molecules in solution of macromolecules such as
tissue, or other bits of material such as protein proteins, hormones (insulin,
visible under microscope growth factor), LDL and Toxins
’cell eating’ ‘cell drinking’
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The extrusion process by which cellular secretion
(proteins and large molecules) are liberated to the exterior

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 Resting Membrane Potential
At equilibrium,
a slight excess of cations on the outside
anions on the inside
creating a resting membrane potential.
ECF

ICF

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 Genesis of RMP

ECF ICF
• The nature of cell membrane (mmol/L) (mmol/L)
…….. provide explanation of RMP
Na+ 150 Na+ 15

• Operation of the Na+- K+ Pump K+ 5. 5 K+ 150

…….. maintain
high intracellular [K+] Cl- 125 Cl- 9
high extracellular [Na+]
Anion
Protein

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K+ ions
• diffuse out along
concentration gradient
through ion channels
selectively permeable to
them ‘K+ leak channels’
Intracellular anions
• ‘proteins and organic
phosphate’ ……non
diffusible, and not able
to move along with K+
Create a potential difference across the cell membrane
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Na+ ions
• being more concentrated on
outside, tends to diffuse in ECF ICF ECF
• but Na+ influx does not
compensate for the K+ efflux Na+
because K+ channels make
the membrane more
permeable to K+ than to Na+ K+

Thus K+ efflux effectively

outbalances the Na+ influx

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Cl- ions
• tends to diffuse in ECF ICF ECF
• Increase the negativity of
membrane potential
Cl-

Direct electrogenic effect of

Na+ - K+ pump
• 3 Na+….out for every 2 K+ in
…….loosing one positive
charge from the cell
• Contribute very little, only 4%
- 70 mV
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THANK YOU

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