PLASMA MEMBRANE

Presenter - Vidita Joshi [B.Sc. (I) – Biophysics]

 PLASMA MEMBRANE (CELL MEMBRANE)

• Found in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.

• Ultrathin (5-10 nm), elastic and dynamic.
• Provides protection and fixed environment to the cell.
• It separates cytoplasm from the surrounding cellular environment.
• It is a semipermeable membrane and consists of phospholipid bilayer , proteins and
some conjugated molecules.
• It provides connectivity within the cell and regulates the transport of materials in and
out of the cell.
PLASMA MEMBRANE

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 HISTORY

• Carl Nageli and Cramer coined the term Cell Membrane in 1855 .
• Wilhelm Pfeffer proposed the cell membrane theory (1877) which stated that cell was
enclosed by a very thin surface.
• Charles Overton (1899) : Showed that the plasma membrane was composed of lipids .
• Gorter and Grendel (1925) : Their findings reveal that lipid which was found in plasma
• membrane was present in the form of bilayer.
• Harvey and Cole (1932) suggested that the lipid membrane was surrounded by proteins.
• Danielli and Davson in 1935 proposed the sandwich model for plasma membrane.
• Robertson in 1959 proposed the unit membrane model.
• Singer and Nicolson in 1972 proposed the fluid mosaic model .
 CHEMICAL COMPOSITION

Plasma membrane consists of the following major components :

• Lipids
• Proteins
• Carbohydrates
• Various kinds of enzymes like ATPase , phosphatases , etc. are also present in the plasma membrane.
The chemical composition of plasma membranes can vary from organisms to organisms.
Human RBC plasma membrane consists of:
• Proteins = 52%
• Lipids = 40%
• Carbohydrates = 8%
Plasma membrane of bacteria consists of :
• Proteins = 60%
• Phospholipids = 40%
 LIPIDS

 Lipids are present in the form of phospholipid bilayer in the plasma

membrane and have hydrophilic heads (water attracting) facing
outwards and hydrophobic tails (water repelling) facing towards the
middle of the bilayer i.e. towards the inside.
 Different types of lipids present in membranes :
• Phospholipid
• Sphingolipid
• Glycolipid
• Sterols (example : cholesterol)
 All types of lipids are amphipathic molecules which means that they
possess hydrophilic and hydrophobic regions.

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CHEMICAL STRUCTURE OF PHOSPHOLIPIDS

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 PROTEINS

Proteins are responsible for carrying out specific functions in cell membrane.
Proteins are of two types :
 Integral membrane protein:
• Also called the transmembrane proteins.
• Are directly embedded within the lipid bilayer.
• Amphipathic with there hydrophilic portions exposed to the
aqueous environment on both sides of the membrane.
• Beta barrel protein which is formed by folding of beta sheets into
barrel like structure is present in transmembrane proteins of
bacteria, chloroplast and mitochondria.
 Peripheral membrane protein:
• These proteins are not inserted in lipid bilayer but are associated
with the membrane indirectly generally through interactions with
integral membrane proteins. google.com
 FUNCTION OF MEMBRANE PROTEINS

• Receptors
• Ion channels
• Carriers (transporters)
• Enzymes
• Cell identity markers (glycoproteins and glycolipids)
• Cell adhesion proteins (glycosyl-phosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchored proteins)

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 CARBOHYDRATES
• Carbohydrates are present in cell membrane in the form of conjugated molecules.
• Almost 90% of the carbohydrates are covalently linked to proteins to form glycoproteins and the remaining
carbohydrates are covalently attached to lipids to form glycolipids.

phospholipid

Peripheral protein
Transmembrane
protein
Peripheral
Protein channel
protein
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 MODELS OF PLASMA MEMBRANE
1. THE CLASSIC SANDWICH OR BILAYER MODEL BY DANIELLI AND DAVSON
(1935)
• According to this model there are four layers as Protein-Lipid (P-L-L-P) .
• Mutual attraction between the hydrocarbon chains of lipids and electrostatic force between the
protein were thought to maintain the stability of the membrane.
• Thickness of lipid bilayer was predicted to be 6.0 nm in thickness and each of the protein
layer of about 1.0 nm thickness, giving a total thickness of about 8.0 nm.
• It was assumed that all membrane have same composition.

REASONS FOR THE FAILURE OF THE MODEL:-

• In this model they discussed about the stability of membrane but were unable to describe how
membrane would change its shape without the bonds being broken.
• Membrane proteins are largely hydrophobic and therefore should not be found where the
model positioned them.
• The composition of the membrane can vary greatly from membrane to membrane.
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2. THE UNIT MEMBRANE MODEL (TRILAMINAR MODEL) BY J D ROBERTSON
( 1959)

• In 1959 , Robertson observed the structure of stained osmium tissue under electron microscope and saw
trilaminar appearance of membrane.
• The transverse sections revealed the three layer membrane later called as “unit membrane”.
• This model could not explain the functioning of plasma membrane
properly.
• According to Robertson dark regions were the protein layers and
open area in the middle was the lipid layer.
• In 1964, Brady and Trams reported that membrane are composed of
lipids and proteins, where proteins entered the membrane and lipid components are fluid, that paved the way to
development of “Fluid mosaic model”.
 3. FLUID MOSIAC MODEL BY J. SINGER AND G. NICOLSON (1972)

This model describes plasma membrane as a flexible boundary of the cell. It states that plasma membrane is a lipid bilayer in which
proteins occur as a “mosaic” of discontinuous particles that penetrate irregularly deep or even through the lipid bilayer . Phospholipid
molecules present in fluid state and capable to move and rotate freely.

This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

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 FLUID MOSAIC MODEL
• It is ‘quasi fluid’ because phospholipids are free to move.
• Phospholipids in lipid bilayer can either move rotationally,
laterally in one bilayer, or occasionally undergo transverse
movement (FLIP –FLOP) between bilayers. They can only
move from side to side however , not through the
membrane.
• It is called ‘mosaic’ because the proteins are embedded in
the phospholipid bilayer .
• Hydrophilic portions of both proteins and phospholipids
are maximally exposed to water resulting in stable
membrane structure.
• The quasi fluid nature of the lipids enables lateral
movement of proteins within the overall bilayer.
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 COMPOSITION OF FLUID MOSAIC MODEL
PHOSPHOLIPIDS: They make up the main fiber of the membrane.

CHOLESTROL : It is attached between the phospholipids and the two phospholipid layers.

INTEGRAL PROTEINS : These proteins are embedded within the phospholipid bilayer.

EXTRINSIC PROTEINS : They are embedded outside the phospholipid bilayer.

CARBOHYDRATES : They are attached to the proteins outside the membrane layer.

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 UNIQUE FEATURE

• Apoptosis is basically the process of programmed cell death

• The exposure of phosphatidylserine (PS) on the outer plasma membrane has been
considered a unique feature of apoptotic cells.

• Phosphatidylserine appears “inside out” on plasma membrane of apoptotic

cells as a result of decreased amino-phospholipid translocase activity and
activation of a calcium dependent scramblase.

• It enables the recognition and phagocytosis of dying cells, helping to explain the
immunologically silent nature of apoptosis.
 FUNCTIONS OF PLAMSA MEMBRANE

Transport across the cell membrane:

• PASSIVE TRANSPORT

Simple Diffusion
Facilitated Diffusion

• ACTIVE TRANSPORT

Primary Active Transport

Secondary Active Transport

• BULK TRANSPORT

Exocytosis
Endocytosis

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SIMPLE DIFFUSION:
• Movement of particles from area of higher concentration to area of lower concentration
• Does not require energy
• Transport of gases, ion
FACILITATED DIFFUSION:
• Diffusion of molecules down the concentration gradient which requires carrier protein
• Does not require energy
• Absorption of fructose
PRIMARY ACTIVE TRANSPORT:
• The transport occurs against the concentration gradient and it requires carrier as well
• Uses energy directly in the form of ATP
• Sodium-potassium pump, calcium pump
SECONDARY ACTIVE TRANSPORT:
• The transport occurs against the concentration
gradient
• Uses energy indirectly
• Symport and antiport
BULK TRANSPORT:
• Transport occurs by vesicle formation
• Transport macromolecules
• Involves formation of membrane bound organelles
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 SODIUM – POTASSIUM PUMP

HISTORY :-
• In 1957 , Sodium - potassium pump was discovered
Danish scientist Jens Christian Skou.

STRUCTURE :-
• The Na+ -K+ -ATPase can function as an alpha beta Google.com
dimer.
• There are four isomers of alpha (1-4) and three
isoforms of beta expressed in a tissue –specific
fashion.

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FORMS OF SODIUM-POTASSIUM
PUMP :-
Sodium potassium pump exists in two forms :-
1. E1 FORM:
• E1 has an inward facing high affinity Na+
• binding site and reacts with ATP to form
the activated product E1-P only when Na+
is bound.
• The E1 state of the pump is present in open
conformation.
2. E2 FORM:
• E2 has an outward facing high affinity K+
binding site and hydrolyses to form P+E2
only when K+ is bound.
• E2 can be present in a closed or open
conformation.
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 MECHANISM:-
• E1 after acquiring 3Na+ inside the cell
binds to ATP and yields E1.ATP.Na+
• The complex reacts to form high energy
aspartyl phosphate intermediate E1-P.3Na+
• The above mentioned intermediate relaxes
its energy to its low energy conformation
E1-P.3Na+ and relaxes its bound sodium
outside the cell.
• E2-P binds 2K+from outside the cell to
form E2-P.2K+
• The phosphate is hydrolyzed forming
E2.2K+
• E2-K+changes conformation releases 2K+
inside the cell and replaces its Na+ thereby
completing the transport cycle.
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FUNCTIONS :-
• Transport
• Controlling cell volume
• Resting potential
• Controlling neuron activity

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IMPORTANCE OF SODIUM POTASSIUM PUMP:-
• The sodium potassium pump consumes about 30% of the energy of the cell.
• For every 3Na+ ions pumped out of the cell 2K+ ions are pumped in . This
creates potential difference. This makes the cytoplasm negatively charged in
comparison to the surrounding extracellular environment.
The electrochemical gradient thus created provides energy for other active
transport processes.
 REFERENCES

• NCERT
• NCBI (www.ncbi.nim.nih.gov)
• The cell molecular approach 8th edition (Cooper and Geoffrey. M)
THANKYOU!