CELL TRANSPORT

Transport Across Membranes

There are two basic ways that substances can cross the
plasma membrane:

1. Passive transport, which requires no energy;

2. Active transport, which requires energy.

The Cell Transport Concept Map

bio.libretexts.org
 Transport Without Energy
q Passive transport occurs when substances cross the plasma membrane without
any input of energy from the cell.
q No energy is needed because the substances are moving from an area where
they have a higher concentration to an area where they have a lower
concentration.
q Water solutions are very important in biology. When water is mixed with other
molecules this mixture is called a solution. Water is the solvent and the
dissolved substance is the solute. A solution is characterized by the solute.

Passive Transport which includes:

a. Simple Diffusion
b. Osmosis
c. Facilitated Diffusion
 A. Simple Diffusion
Diffusion is defined as the net movement of particles from an area of greater
concentration to an area of lesser concentration.

o The molecules in a gas, a liquid, or a solid are in constant

motion due to their kinetic energy. Molecules are in
constant movement and collide with each other.
o These collisions cause the molecules to move in
random directions. Over time, however, more
molecules will be propelled into the less concentrated
area.
o Thus, the net movement of molecules is always from
more tightly packed areas to less tightly packed areas.
o This unequal distribution of molecules is called a
concentration gradient. Once the molecules become
uniformly distributed, a dynamic equilibrium exists.
o The equilibrium is said to be dynamic because
molecules continue to move, but despite this change,
there is no net change in concentration over time.
 B. OSMOSIS
q Osmosis is a specific type of diffusion; it is the passage of water from a region
of high water concentration through a semi-permeable membrane to a region
of low water concentration.
q Water moves in or out of a cell until its concentration is the same on both sides
of the plasma membrane.
q Semi-permeable membranes are very thin layers of material that allow some
things to pass through them but prevent other things from passing through.
q Cell membranes are an example of semi-permeable membranes. Cell
membranes allow small molecules such as oxygen, water carbon dioxide, and
oxygen to pass through but do not allow larger molecules like glucose,
sucrose, proteins, and starch to enter the cell directly.
Osmosis demonstration with Red Blood cells places in a hypertonic, isotonic, and
hypotonic solution.
 C. Facilitated Diffusion
q Water and many other substances cannot simply diffuse across a membrane.
q Hydrophilic molecules, charged ions, and relatively large molecules such as glucose all
need help with diffusion. The help comes from special proteins in the membrane
known as transport proteins.
q Diffusion with the help of transport proteins is called facilitated diffusion. There are
several types of transport proteins, including channel proteins and carrier proteins

o Channel proteins form pores, or tiny holes, in the

membrane. This allows water molecules and
small ions to pass through the membrane without
coming into contact with the hydrophobic tails of
the lipid molecules in the interior of the
membrane.
o Carrier proteins bind with specific ions or
molecules, and in doing so, they change shape. As
carrier proteins change shape, they carry the
ions or molecules across the membrane.
 What Is Active Transport?
q Some substances require energy to cross a plasma membrane
often because they are moving from an area of lower
concentration to an area of higher concentration.
q This type of transport is called active transport.
q The energy for active transport comes from the energy-carrying
molecule called ATP (adenosine triphosphate).
q Active transport may also require transport proteins, such as
carrier proteins, which are embedded in the plasma membrane.
q Two types of active transport are pump and vesicle transport
 A. PUMP
q Two pump mechanisms (primary and secondary active transports) exist for the
transport of small-molecular weight material and macromolecules.
q The primary active transport moves ions across a membrane and creates a
difference in charge across that membrane.
q The primary active transport system uses ATP to move a substance, such as an
ion, into the cell, and often at the same time, a second substance is moved out of
the cell.
q The sodium-potassium pump is a mechanism of active transport that moves
sodium ions out of the cell and potassium ions into the cells — in all the trillions
of cells in the body! Both ions are moved from areas of lower to higher
concentration, so energy is needed for this "uphill" process. The energy is
provided by ATP.
q The sodium-potassium pump also requires carrier proteins. Carrier proteins bind
with specific ions or molecules, and in doing so, they change shape. As carrier
proteins change shape, they carry the ions or molecules across the membrane.
 The sodium-potassium pump

o Sodium is the principal ion in the fluid outside of cells. Normal sodium concentrations are about 10
times higher outside than inside of cells.
o Potassium is the principal ion in the fluid inside of cells. Normal potassium concentrations are
about 30 times higher inside than outside of cells.
Lanjutan…

q Difference in concentration create an electrical gradient across the cell

membrane, called the membrane potential.
q The secondary active transport describes the movement of material using
the energy of the electrochemical gradient established by the primary active
transport.
q Using the energy of the electrochemical gradient created by the primary
active transport system, other substances such as amino acids and glucose
can be brought into the cell through membrane channels.
q ATP itself is formed through secondary active transport using a hydrogen ion
gradient in the mitochondrion. Tightly controlling the membrane potential is
critical for vital body functions, including the transmission of nerve impulses
and the contraction of muscles.
q A large percentage of the body's energy goes to maintaining this potential
across the membranes of its trillions of cells with the sodium-potassium
pump.
 B. Vesicle Transport

q Some molecules, such as proteins, are too large to pass through

the plasma membrane, regardless of their concentration inside
and outside the cell.
q Very large molecules cross the plasma membrane with a
different sort of help, called vesicle transport.
q Vesicle transport requires energy, so it is also a form of active
transport.
q There are two types of vesicle transport: endocytosis and
exocytosis.
 Endocytosis
q Endocytosis is a type of vesicle transport that moves a substance into the
cell. The plasma membrane completely engulfs the substance, a vesicle
pinches off from the membrane, and the vesicle carries the substance into
the cell.
q It is used by all cells of the body because most substances important to them
are polar and consist of big molecules, and thus cannot pass through the
hydrophobic plasma membrane.
q When an entire cell or other solid particle is engulfed, the process is
called phagocytosis. When fluid is engulfed, the process is
called pinocytosis.
q When the content is taken in specifically with the help of receptors on the
plasma membrane, it is called receptor-mediated endocytosis.
o Phagocytosis is when the plasma membrane wraps around a solid particle outside the cell using
projections called pseudopodia. The membrane then pinches off to form a phagosome (food vacuole).
o Pinocytosis is when the membrane folds to form a vesicle that carries substances dissolved in the
extracellular fluid.
o Receptor-mediated endocytosis occurs when the receptors on the plasma membrane bind to specific
particles. The coated pit region of the membrane forms a coated vesicle containing the receptors with their
bound particles.
 Exocytosis

q Exocytosis is a type of vesicle

transport that moves a substance
out of the cell. A vesicle containing
the substance moves through the
cytoplasm to the cell membrane.
q Then, the vesicle membrane fuses
with the cell membrane, and the
substance is released outside the
cell.
 Homeostasis and Cell Function

q For a cell to function normally, a stable state must be maintained

inside the cell. For example, the concentration of salts, nutrients,
and other substances must be kept within a certain range.
q The process of maintaining stable conditions inside a cell (or an
entire organism) is homeostasis.
q Homeostasis requires constant adjustments because conditions
are always changing both inside and outside the cell. The
processes described in this and previous lessons play important
roles in homeostasis.
q By moving substances into and out of cells, they keep conditions
within normal ranges inside the cells and the organism as a whole.