Intracellular Communication & Pharmacology

• Protective barrier • Regulates transport in and out the cell or sub cellular domain • Allows selective receptivity and signal transduction • Allows cell recognition • Allows directed cell or organelle motility • Forms specialised junctions that allow cell adhesion or communication

Singer and Nicolson

Proposed through microscopy and thermodynamic data: -proteins must transverse the membrane = non-polar groups would match with non-polar regions and that polar groups would lie near polar regions • the lipid bilayer gives fluidity and elasticity to the membrane • small amounts of carbohydrates are also found in the cell membrane (chain of carbohydrates attached to proteins or lipid bilayer)

Na+ pump

actively pumps out of cells and K+ in

K+ leak channel

allows K+ ions to leave cells, thereby having a major influence on cell excitability

Integrins

link intracellular actin filaments to extracellular matrix proteins

Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) receptor

binds extracellular PDGF and as a consequence, generates intracellular signal that cause the cell to grow and divide

Adenylyl cyclase

catalyses the production of the small intracellular signalling molecule cyclic AMP in response to extracellular signals

Lipid bilayers are selectively permeable - it allows the movement of certain substances across the membrane