Question

Carbohydrates, lipids and proteins play a vital role in the efficient functioning of the human body. Discuss the role of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins in maintaining the structure of the cell membrane and explain the effect of denaturation agents on the structure of proteins.

Answer 1

The cell membrane covers the cell. It protects the cell to some extent and gives the shape to the cell. cell membrane is semi-permeable as well as selective-permeable membrane. It allows only certain molecules to pass through it in a selective manner.

As the saying goes "Form correlates with the function", the form or the structure of the cell membrane attributes for its semi and selective-permeable membrane.

Cell membrane is a double-layered membrane. Cell-membrane is made up of lipids, proteins and carbohydrates. Cell-membrane exhibits flexibility, with which it exhibits semi and selective permeability.

The flexibility of the cell-membrane is because of its significant structural-constituency. The cell membrane is made up of more proteins and lipids and less carbohydrates. As the carbohydrates are lesser than the lipids and proteins in the structure of the cell membrane, it is less rigid and more flexible and exhibits semi and selective permeability.

In the structure of the cell-membrane the proteins are arranged like icebergs in the ocean. The lipids are arranged like ocean and proteins are arranged like icebergs. Carbohydrates are arranged attached to proteins and lipids and make them glycoproteins and glycolipids which contributes the structural and functional properties of the cell membrane.

The proteins of the cell-membrane are of two types, they are peripheral proteins and integral proteins.

Peripheral proteins are the ones which are present at the outer surface of the cell membrane and can be easily removed by normal simple treatment. integral proteins are the ones, which are arranged deep inside the cell membrane and cannot be easily removed by normal treatments.

integral membrane proteins can be removed only by the action of certain denaturing agents like detergents. Hence application of denaturing agents will make the structural proteins to lose their structure or get denatured.
In the denatured condition the proteins lose their structural and functional properties and finally the cell membrane will lose its integrity in terms of the structure and its function, leading the cell to death.