WJEC AS Biology Unit 1.3 - Membranes Revision Notes

Cell Membrane Structure

Your cell membranes are basically phospholipid bilayers - think of them as molecular sandwiches that are only 7nm thick. Each phospholipid has a hydrophilic head (loves water) made of glycerol pointing outward, and hydrophobic fatty acid tails (hates water) pointing inward.

This setup creates a perfect barrier where the inside is non-polar and acts like a bouncer against water-soluble molecules trying to sneak through. The fluidity of your membrane depends on temperature and whether the fatty acid tails are saturated or unsaturated - more unsaturated fats make membranes more bendy and fluid.

Cholesterol acts like a membrane stabiliser, regulating fluidity and keeping everything mechanically stable. Scientists even use artificial liposomes (sealed membrane compartments) to deliver drugs to specific organs - pretty clever, right?

Quick Tip: Remember that membranes are partially permeable - they're picky about what they let through, which is exactly what keeps your cells functioning properly!

Membrane Proteins

Membranes aren't just fat layers - they're packed with protein molecules that do the real heavy lifting. Extrinsic proteins sit on the surface and act as receptors and recognition sites, whilst intrinsic proteins span the entire membrane like molecular tunnels.

Transport proteins create hydrophilic channels for specific ions or polar molecules that can't squeeze through the fatty interior. Glycoproteins (proteins with carbohydrate chains attached) help stabilise the membrane and stick cells together - they're like cellular glue.

Some membrane proteins work as receptor molecules that bind with specific substances, whilst others act as antigens that trigger immune responses. You've also got glycolipids - phospholipids with carbohydrate chains that help with cell-to-cell communication.

Remember: These proteins are what make each membrane unique and specialised for different cellular jobs!

The Fluid Mosaic Model

Scientists describe membranes using the fluid mosaic model - it's "fluid" because phospholipids constantly move about, and "mosaic" because proteins of different sizes are scattered throughout like tiles. This isn't just theory - researchers proved it using clever antibody tagging experiments.

They tagged mouse and human cell membranes with different coloured antibodies, fused the cells together, and watched the colours spread over 40 minutes. This showed that membrane proteins actually move around freely in the bilayer.

Temperature affects how easily things move through membranes - more heat means more kinetic energy and faster movement. Organic solvents like ethanol can completely destroy membranes by dissolving the phospholipids, which is why the classic beetroot practical works so well.

Lab Connection: That beetroot experiment where red pigment leaks out with higher ethanol concentrations? That's membrane destruction in action!

Diffusion and Facilitated Diffusion

Diffusion is the lazy way molecules move - no energy required, just going from high to low concentration through the phospholipid bilayer. Oxygen, CO₂, water, and lipid-based molecules like steroid hormones can all diffuse directly through membranes.

The rate depends on a simple equation: Rate = (Surface area × Concentration difference) ÷ Length of diffusion path. Bigger surface area and steeper gradients mean faster diffusion.

Facilitated diffusion uses channel and carrier proteins to help larger or polar molecules cross without using ATP. Channel proteins create pores, whilst carrier proteins physically change shape to transport molecules across.

Think of it like having express lanes at a checkpoint - facilitated diffusion gets saturated when all the "lanes" are busy, unlike simple diffusion which just keeps going faster with higher concentrations.

Key Point: Both types of diffusion are passive - no cellular energy required, just molecules following their natural tendency to spread out!

Co-transport and Osmosis

Co-transport is a clever type of facilitated diffusion where one carrier protein transports two different substances together. The classic example is sodium-glucose co-transport in your intestines - one glucose molecule hitches a ride with two sodium ions.

Osmosis is just water diffusion, but it's so important it gets its own name. Water molecules are tiny enough to squeeze through membranes, though some cells have special aquaporins (water channels) to speed things up.

Water potential (ψ) measures how easily water can move, measured in kilopascals (kPa). Pure water at standard conditions has ψ = 0 kPa. Solute potential (ψₛ) is always negative because dissolved substances lower water potential.

The equation you need to remember is ψ = ψₛ + ψₚ, where ψₚ is pressure potential (always positive).

Memory Trick: Higher concentration of water molecules means higher potential energy - water always flows from high to low potential!

Water Potential Solutions

Understanding hypotonic, hypertonic, and isotonic solutions is crucial for predicting what happens to cells. Hypotonic solutions have higher water potential than the cell, so water rushes in. Hypertonic solutions have lower water potential, pulling water out of cells.

Isotonic solutions have equal water potential inside and outside the cell, creating no net water movement. This is why saline drips match your blood's water potential.

Red blood cells demonstrate this perfectly - in hypotonic solutions they swell and burst (lysis), in hypertonic solutions they shrivel up (crenation), and in isotonic solutions they stay perfectly normal.

Pressure potential (ψₚ) is always positive and increases the overall water potential. It's the physical pressure pushing against a membrane, like when plant cells press against their cell walls.

Clinical Connection: Understanding these concepts explains why IV fluids must be carefully matched to your blood's osmolarity!

Osmosis in Plant Cells

Plant cells behave differently from animal cells because of their tough cellulose cell walls. In hypotonic solutions (like distilled water), water enters but the inelastic cell wall prevents bursting by creating pressure potential.

When the cell becomes turgid, this pressure provides structural support - it's why plants stand upright without skeletons! In hypertonic solutions, water leaves the cell, making it flaccid (ψₚ = 0 kPa) and eventually plasmolysed.

Incipient plasmolysis occurs when ψₚ = ψₛ - the cell is neither turgid nor plasmolysed. Scientists can determine this point by testing different sucrose concentrations and counting how many cells are plasmolysed under a microscope.

When 50% of cells show plasmolysis, the tissue is at incipient plasmolysis. This technique helps determine the exact water potential of plant tissues.

Plant Survival: Turgidity is how plants stay upright and why they wilt when dehydrated - it's all about water pressure!

Active Transport

Active transport is the cell's way of moving substances against concentration gradients using ATP energy. Only intrinsic carrier proteins can do this job, and there's a limited number of them, which creates a maximum rate (Vmax).

The process works like a molecular machine: molecules bind to receptors, ATP transfers a phosphate group (releasing 30.6 kJ/mol), the carrier protein changes shape, transports the molecule, then returns to its original form.

The famous Na⁺/K⁺ pump in nerve cells moves three sodium ions out and two potassium ions in, using about 30% of the cell's energy (70% in nerve cells!). Cells doing lots of active transport are packed with mitochondria for ATP production.

Cyanide completely stops active transport by blocking ATP production, whilst leaving passive diffusion unaffected. This shows how dependent active transport is on cellular respiration.

Energy Cost: Active transport is expensive - your kidneys use massive amounts of ATP just to reabsorb glucose from your urine!

Bulk Transport

Sometimes cells need to move really large substances that won't fit through any protein channel - that's where bulk transport comes in. Endocytosis brings materials into cells and decreases surface area, whilst exocytosis removes materials and increases surface area.

Phagocytosis ("cell eating") involves the membrane wrapping around solid particles like food or pathogens. White blood cells called phagocytes use this to engulf bacteria, then release enzymes from lysosomes to digest them.

Pinocytosis ("cell drinking") works similarly but for liquids. When the vesicles are tiny, it's called micropinocytosis - think of cells sipping rather than gulping.

Exocytosis reverses the process, with the Golgi apparatus packaging materials into vesicles that fuse with the membrane to release contents outside. This is how cells secrete hormones, enzymes, and waste products.

Real Example: When you get a splinter, phagocytes literally eat the foreign material to protect you from infection!