Membrane protein facts for kids

Crystal structure of Potassium channel Kv1.2/2.1 Chimera. Calculated hydrocarbon boundaries of the lipid bilayer are indicated by red and blue dots.

A membrane protein is a protein molecule that is attached to, or associated with the membrane of a cell or an organelle.

20–30% of all genes in genomes code for membrane proteins. They are targets of over 50% of all modern medicinal drugs.

Function

Membrane proteins perform a variety of functions vital to the survival of organisms:

• Membrane receptor proteins relay signals between the cell's internal and external environments.
• Membrane transport proteins move molecules and ions across the membrane.
• Membrane enzymes have many activities.
• Cell adhesion molecules allow cells to identify each other and interact. For example proteins involved in immune response.

Other pages

• Ion channel

Images for kids

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  Crystal structure of Potassium channel Kv1.2/2.1 Chimera. Calculated hydrocarbon boundaries of the lipid bilayer are indicated by red and blue lines.

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  Schematic representation of transmembrane proteins: 1. a single transmembrane α-helix (bitopic membrane protein) 2. a polytopic transmembrane α-helical protein 3. a polytopic transmembrane β-sheet protein The membrane is represented in light-brown.

See also

In Spanish: Proteína de membrana para niños