Functions of plasma membrane
In all cells the plasma membrane has several essential functions to
perform. These include transporting nutrients into and metabolic wastes out of
the cell preventing unwanted materials from entering the cell. In short, the
intercellular and intra cellular transport is regulated by plasma membrane. The
plasma membrane maintains the proper ionic composition pH(~7.2) and osmotic
pressure of the cytosol. To carry out all these functions, the plasma membrane
contains specific trasport proteins that permit the passage of certain small
molecules but not others. Several of these proteins use the energy relaeased by
ATP hydrolysis to pump ions and
other molecules into or out of the cell against concentration gradients. Small
charged molecules such as ATP and amino acids can diffuse freely within the
cytosol but are restricted in their ability to leave or enter it across the
plasma membrane.
In addition to these universal functions, the plasma membrane has other
important functions to perform. Enzymes bound to the plasma membrane catalyze
reactions that would occur with difficulty in an aqueous environment. The
plasma membranes of many types of eukaryotic cells also contain receptor proteins that bind specific signalling molecules like hormones,
growth factors, neurotransmitters etc. leading to various cellular responses.
Like the entire cell, each organelle in eukaryotic cells is bounded by a
unit membrane containing a unique set of proteins essential for its proper
functioning.
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