because in the membrane there are different membrane proteins that use ATP to work. One way is active transport. Active transport is when, for example, sodium, will pass though the protein channel and go to wherever there is a higher concentration of sodium. If there is more sodium in the cell, the sodium will want to go into the cell, because there is a higher concentration of sodium. Another way is called osmosis. This is when a semi-permeable liquid or solid goes in or out of the cell. This…
directional migration of cells in response to a chemical stimulus. The movement of these cells can either be directed towards favourable chemicals (chemoattractants) or unfavourable chemicals (chemorepellents). In particular, sugars and amino acids can attract many species of bacteria via chemotaxis, and the main method used to identify these chemicals is an assay that uses a glass capillary (Abe et al., 2017). In the capillary assay, the outer chamber contains mobile cells while the inner…
have a thin cell of a single layer of peptidoglycan that is enclosed by an outer membrane. The outer membrane is surrounded by special phospholipids composed of fatty acids called lipopolysaccharides that are attached to a glucosamine…
The plasma membrane also known as the cell membrane is found in every cell. The cell membrane is around 7-10nm, making it difficult to view even with a transmission scanning electron microscope (it only shows a double black line), this means that no one knows exactly what the membrane looks like. All membranes have the same basic structure made up from phospholipids (fats). The membrane is made up of a phospholipid bilayer; consisting of a polar phosphate head and two fatty acid tails. The head…
Abstract Bacteriorhodopsin is located in the plasma membrane of Halobacterium halobium, where it acts as a proton-pump, transporting protons out of the cell. Since its discovery in 1979, much research has been done on Bacteriorhodopsin and there have been many advancements in our knowledge. Firstly, on its structure and function and secondly, on the conformational changes it undergoes during retinal isomerisation. Introduction Bacteriorhodopsin is a globular protein, (Henderson, 1975) which…
found in the nuclei of all cells and their job is to transmit the information needed for cellular growth and reproduction (Averill & Eldredge, 2007). 2. The number of carbons and the branching determines the boiling point, where the higher of either increases the boiling point. The reason behind this is hydrogen bonding (Clark, 2003). In ethanol there is an -OH group present. The oxygen pulls…
Cell penetrating peptides are proteins or peptides that typically consist of 5-30 amino acids. These peptides are unique in that they are able to cross cell membranes and other barriers throughout the body such as the blood brain barrier, intestinal and nasal mucosa, and even skin. Using CPPs, scientists are now able to explore their potential as a means of transporting cargo into cells and across bio barriers. With their ease of preparation and generally nontoxic nature, CPPs have gained a…
In this experiment we used the alcohols methanol, ethanol, and 1-propanol, and tested the beet membranes at 0% alcohol concentration, 10% alcohol concentration, 20% alcohol concentration, 30% alcohol concentration, and 40% alcohol concentration. We used 0.5cm3 beet pieces throughout the entire experiment to keep the surface area constant in each alcohol. We then submerged one cube of the beet in each concentration of each alcohol for 15 minutes. We then found the concentration of Betacyanin in…
Ion channels are membrane proteins that selectively allow the permeation of ions into and out of cells (Fig.1a ###image messes with formatting). Some channels have evolved to also sense changes in the electrical potential across a membrane. A potential above a certain voltage will trigger the opening of these ion-conducting pores, releasing large stores of ions across the membrane. These voltage-gated ion channels allow for the generation of electrical stimuli (the firing of neurons via the…
Viral pathogens use liver cells to replicate, then attach to their lipid droplets to to accumulate, assemble and bud off into the rest of the body. Liver produces and secretes LDL, VLDL and HDL which are taken up by every cell in the body that uses cholesterol, including the liver cells that take them up too.2 Viruses hijack these lipoproteins and use them to get into the liver cells, where they replicate, which opens up a gateway to the rest of the body. They replicate within the endoplasmic…