Mediaspace scheduled maintenance: Aug 25, 2026 07:00 - 12:00 AM. During this time, videos will be temporarily unavailable. Check status updates.

Lecture

Cell Membrane Structure and Function

In course

BIO-109: Introduction to life sciences (for IC)

Ce cours présente les principes fondamentaux à l'œuvre dans les organismes vivants. Autant que possible, l'accent est mis sur les contributions de l'Informatique aux progrès des Sciences de la Vie. ...

Description

This lecture covers the structure and function of the cell membrane, including its composition of proteins and phospholipids, membrane fluidity at different temperatures, and the impact of cholesterol. It also discusses experimental techniques like FRAP to study membrane properties.

Instructor

Romain Zufferey

Official source

Ontological neighbourhood

Biology

Cell biology: Membrane biology

Related concepts (17)

Cell membrane

The cell membrane (also known as the plasma membrane or cytoplasmic membrane, and historically referred to as the plasmalemma) is a biological membrane that separates and protects the interior of a cell from the outside environment (the extracellular space). The cell membrane consists of a lipid bilayer, made up of two layers of phospholipids with cholesterols (a lipid component) interspersed between them, maintaining appropriate membrane fluidity at various temperatures.

Semipermeable membrane

Semipermeable membrane is a type of biological or synthetic, polymeric membrane that will allow certain molecules or ions to pass through it by osmosis. The rate of passage depends on the pressure, concentration, and temperature of the molecules or solutes on either side, as well as the permeability of the membrane to each solute. Depending on the membrane and the solute, permeability may depend on solute size, solubility, properties, or chemistry. How the membrane is constructed to be selective in its permeability will determine the rate and the permeability.

Membrane protein

Membrane proteins are common proteins that are part of, or interact with, biological membranes. Membrane proteins fall into several broad categories depending on their location. Integral membrane proteins are a permanent part of a cell membrane and can either penetrate the membrane (transmembrane) or associate with one or the other side of a membrane (integral monotopic). Peripheral membrane proteins are transiently associated with the cell membrane.

Integral membrane protein

An integral, or intrinsic, membrane protein (IMP) is a type of membrane protein that is permanently attached to the biological membrane. All transmembrane proteins are IMPs, but not all IMPs are transmembrane proteins. IMPs comprise a significant fraction of the proteins encoded in an organism's genome. Proteins that cross the membrane are surrounded by annular lipids, which are defined as lipids that are in direct contact with a membrane protein.

Biological membrane

A biological membrane, biomembrane or cell membrane is a selectively permeable membrane that separates the interior of a cell from the external environment or creates intracellular compartments by serving as a boundary between one part of the cell and another. Biological membranes, in the form of eukaryotic cell membranes, consist of a phospholipid bilayer with embedded, integral and peripheral proteins used in communication and transportation of chemicals and ions.

Related lectures (35)

A microbiology primer

Covers microbiology basics, including cell structure, morphology, and energy generation in microbial cells.

Membrane Structure: Gorter & Grendel Experiment

Delves into the Gorter & Grendel experiment on plasma membrane structure using red blood cells.

Biological Membranes: Structure and Function

Delves into the complexity of biological membranes, emphasizing their dynamic nature, diverse functions, and significance for brain function and connectivity.

Cell Membrane Fusion: Frye & Edidin Experiment

Explores the Frye & Edidin experiment on cell membrane fusion, fluid mosaic model, membrane fluidity, cholesterol influence, and selective permeability.