Chapter 7
-The Cell-
Section 1: Cellular Structure
and Function
Section 2: The Plasma Membrane
The plasma membrane helps to
maintain a cell’s homeostasis.
Function of the Plasma Membrane
• Homeostasis is the process of maintaining
balance in an organism’s internal environment.
• One of the structures that is primarily responsible
for homeostasis is the plasma membrane.
Function of the Plasma Membrane
• The plasma membrane forms a thin, flexible
boundary between a cell and its environment.
Function of the Plasma Membrane
• The plasma membrane allows how, when and
how much
• Nutrients get into the cell
• Waste and products leave the cell
Function of the Plasma Membrane
• A key property of plasma membranes is selective
permeability, meaning they allow some
substances to pass through while keeping others
out.
• Some molecules can cross the plasma membrane
while other cannot.
Function of the Plasma Membrane
Function of the Plasma Membrane
Quick Question!
• What does “selective permeability” mean?
Structure of the Plasma Membrane
• The plasma membrane is composed of a
phospholipid bilayer.
Structure of the Plasma Membrane
Hydrophilic
(water-loving)
because it is POLAR
Hydrophobic
(water-repelling)
because it is
NON-POLAR
Structure of the Plasma Membrane
• Two layers of phospholipids arrange themselves
in a way that allows the plasma membrane to
exist in the watery environment.
Structure of the Plasma Membrane
The Phospholipid Bilayer
• Each phospholipid is a head with two
tails:
• A hydrophilic polar head (because
of phosphate group) that is
attracted to water => The polar
head is attracted to water because
water is also polar!
• Two hydrophobic tails (because it
is made of hydrocarbon fatty acid)
that are nonpolar and repels water.
The Phospholipid Bilayer
• The phospholipid arranges itself to become a
“phospholipid bilayer” that has
• polar heads facing the watery environments found
inside (cytoplasmic side) and outside the cell
(extracellular side).
• The nonpolar tails forming the interior of the plasma
membrane.
The Phospholipid Bilayer
• This bilayer structure is critical for the formation and
function of the plasma membrane.
• This allows the membrane to keep the internal and
external environments separate.
• Water-soluble substances will not move easily
through the plasma membrane because they are
stopped by the nonpolar middle.
Other Components of the Plasma Membrane
• The plasma membrane also contains
• Proteins
• Cholesterol
• Carbohydrates
Other Components of the Plasma Membrane
• Proteins in the plasma membrane are involved in:
i. supporting the structure – proteins at the inner
surface anchor the plasma membrane to the
internal support structure
ii. transmitting signals to the inside of the cell
(receptors found on the outer surface)
iii. moving substances in and out across the
membrane (transport proteins)
Other Components of the Plasma Membrane
• The nonpolar cholesterol is positioned among the
phospholipid.
Other Components of the Plasma Membrane
• Cholesterol prevents the tails of the phospholipid
bilayer from sticking together, helping with the
plasma membrane’s fluidity.
• Cholesterol plays a critical role in plasma membrane
structure and maintaining homeostasis in a cell.
Other Components of the
Plasma Membrane
• Carbohydrates attached to proteins
(glycoproteins) in the membrane help
i. To define the cell’s characteristics Carbohydrates
ii. cells identify chemical signals from
the environment e.g. help disease-
fighting cells recognize and attack a
harmful cell
Other Components of the Plasma Membrane
• All components of the plasma membrane are in
constant motion, sliding past one another.
• The phospholipid bilayer creates a “sea” where all the
other molecules “float” and move around.
• This organization is called the fluid mosaic model.
Other Components of the Plasma Membrane
• The fluid mosaic model refers to a plasma
membrane with substances that can move around
within the membrane.
Watch and Learn!
Fluid Mosaic Model of the Cell Membrane
• [Link]