med.student! wrote:
>> Some nice chap responded already to my first answer, but unfortunetly I
> still didnt recieve the answer to my second question. Since it might be a
> little bit harder to understand (i.e. my grammar wasnt the best, I hope that
> this second approach might make you people understand what I meant with the
> second question, and also help me answer my third question)
>> What I meant is based on the theory of E.Schnepf (1965), which in German
> is called the Kompartimentierungsregel (that's the way its printed on my
> test-questions). The rule states that a non-plasmatic (and that's were my
> problem lies) phase is divided through a biological membrane from a
> so-called plasmatic phase. In between two membranes is that so-called
> non-plasmatic phase. Yet, the only thing I can come up with is that there is
> just one membrane, in-between two hydrophil phases there is the lipophil
> phase (fatty acids).
>> Therefore my question is;
> 1) What is a non-plasmatic phase, and where are two membranes...that's
> kinnda confusing (the theory is confusing).
>> Here is another question somebody could help me answer:
> 2 a) What is the function of the alpha-helices by interpheriphial (hope its
> correct in english) membran proteins?
> 2 b) What role do amphilic (or amphatic=a lipophil and a hydrophil
> character) helices play?
> 2 c) Do you find also find non-amphatic helices?
>> Help!
>> - med.Student who has his bio-exam (oral) in two weeks!!!!!!!!
Dear Med-student
I'm still having trouble with your question but based on your further
comment may help to look further for the info.
when a lipid bilayer forms, the hydrophobic groups of the fatty acids
face inward and the hydrophilic -COOH groups face outward. If you
imagine the old fashioned wooden peg with the head as the hydrophilic
group and the prongs of the peg as the hydrophobic portions, you get the
idea. Remember now that the membrane consists of two rows of 'pegs' with
the tails facing one another. My response would be that perhaps you are
dealing with the two halves of the same membrane, with this
'non-plasmatic phase' the area where the 'prongs of the pegs' meet. I
don't have access to the original paper but this is what I remember of
membrane structure from cell biology - you should check out a recent
text on the subject.
Cheers
Mike
