BIOEN 6003 Lecture Notes 1 Ion Transport, Resting Potential, and Cellular Homeostasis Introduction These notes cover the basics of membrane composition, transport, resting potential, and cellular homeostasis. After a brief introduction to the first two topics, we will spend most of our time on the 3rd and 4th. We will discuss ions that are subject both to diffusion and to an electric field. Current flux in this case is described by a nonlinear partial differential equation (PDE), the Nernst-Planck equation. Under equilibrium conditions (i.e., with no flux) the Nernst-Planck equation can be simplified to give the Nernst equation, a simple algebraic formula that we can use to calculate the value of membrane potential at which a given ion undergoes no net flux. We will derive a circuit-theory-based model of steady-state, non-equilibrium conditions in multi-ion systems. We will also discuss how ionic pumps can be accounted for mathematically. Because of limitations in time, we will not examine several important and interesting questions related to this material. We will skip several classic and important derivations (e.g., derivations of conductance in semi-permeable membranes, and the time- and length-scales over which the condition of electroneutrality applies). Hille is a terrific book, but it does not cover this material that well. The best detailed derivation of these results I have seen is in Weiss, Cellular Biophysics, Vol. 1, MIT Press. Composition of cell membranes 1. The lipid bilayer, composed of phospholipids (polar heads, hydrophobic tails). Bilayer is the most stable structure in a charged aqueous environment. Lipids are mostly choline-containing (phosphatidylcholine, sphingomyelin), with significant contributions from aminophospholipids (phosphatidylethanolaimine, phosphatidylserine). Other components, small in number but structurally important, include inositol phospholipids. Tails of all phospholipids are composed of long trains of hydrocarbons. Other important components of the lipid bilayer are not phospholipids. These include cholesterol, which regulates the fluidity of the membrane, and glycolipids (lipids with attached carbohydrate chains), the carbohydrates of which typically protrude from the external surface of the cell, acting as receptors or antigens. Many elements of the lipid bilayer (especially glycolipids) are preferentially distributed on the outer or inner face of the membrane.BIOEN 6003 Lecture Notes 2 2. Membrane proteins, including enzymes, transport proteins, ion channels, receptors. Proteins can be integral (inserted in the membrane) or peripheral (on surface, bound by charge interactions with integral proteins). The distribution of membrane elements can often be well-described by a 2-dimensional diffusion model, with a reasonably fast time scale of diffusion and a slower time-scale of “flip-flopping” (i.e., changing from one face of the bilayer to another). Many membrane elements, however, do not diffuse in the membrane because they are tethered by intracellular elements. For more on membrane composition, see Alberts, Bray, Lewis, Raff, Roberts, and Watson, Molecular Biology of the Cell, 3rd edition, Garland Publishing, New York, 1994. Membrane transport Lipid-rich membranes serve as permeability barriers. Material can cross cell membranes in one of several ways: 1. Endocytosis. In this process, the cell membrane envelopes a particle (phagocytosis) or volume of extracellular fluid (pinocytosis). The enclosed particle or fluid is brought in within a membrane-bound vesicle. Endocytosis requires energy, in the form of ATP hydrolysis. Endocytosis often occurs at specialized sites with receptors for a given protein. Vesicles associated with receptor-mediated endocytosis are often coated with “bristles” made of clathrin. 2. Exocytosis. A molecular entity is ejected from a vesicle that fuses with the cell membrane. Endocytosis in reverse. This is the way that neurotransmitters are released. 3. Diffusion through the lipid bilayer. Driven by random thermal motion, described by Fick’s First Law: In general: ! ! n= "Dn#cn, !cn = gradient of cn = !cn!xi + ycn!!j + zcn!!k In 1D steady-state: !n= "Dndcndx cn [=] mol/ L = M !n [=] mol/(s m2) Dn [=] m2/s The diffusion coefficient Dn for a molecule depends on its lipid solubility (the more lipid-soluble, the faster the diffusion) and its size (the smaller the molecule, the faster the diffusion). Some very small water soluble molecules (MW < 200) can diffuse very quicklyBIOEN 6003 Lecture Notes 3 through the membrane. The most important example of this phenomenon is water itself, which equilibrates across the cell membrane reasonably rapidly. In some cells (notably in the kidney), the diffusion of water is aided by water-selective channels called aquaporins. Fick’s First Law and the principle of conservation of matter lead to the diffusion equation: Dn!2cn!x2=!cn(x,t)!t. Green’s function {the response to a space-time impulse, "(x,t)} for this equation, assuming an infinitely long path of diffusion, is c(x,t) =u(t)4!Dte"x24 Dt (see figure below). The fact that the width of this function grows proportionally t-0.5 justifies the statement by B&L that diffusion works well over short distances, but poorly over long distances. - 2 0 - 1 5 - 1 0 - 5 0 5 1 0 1 5 2 000 . 10 . 20 . 30 . 40 . 50 . 60 . 70 . 80 . 91c ( x , t ) w i t h D = 1t = 0 . 1t = 1t = 1 0 4. Protein-mediated transport. Many water-soluble substances are transported by intrinsic proteins called carriers or channels. Mediated transport exhibits several hallmark traits, including saturation (see the figure), chemical specificity, competitive inhibition, and the potential for inhibition by compounds that affect the transport protein. There are two broad classes of protein-mediated transport: a. Active transport. Requires the expenditure of energy derived from the hydrolysis of ATP. This expenditure can be direct (primary active transport, in which ATP is hydrolyzed by the transport molecule) or indirect (secondary active transport, in which an electrochemical gradient previously established by primary active transport is used to drive an additional transport process). A crucial property of active transport is that it can drive the net flux of a molecule against an electrochemical gradient.BIOEN 6003 Lecture Notes 4 Primary active transporters include the