Transport across cell

membrane
 Cell Membrane
 Surrounds entire cell and cell organelles

 Fluid in nature – movement of molecules

 Phospholipid bilayer
 head – polar/hydrophilic
 tail – nonpolar/hydrophobic

Integral –carrier & channel

 Proteins
Peripheral-receptors & antigen
Structure: Cell Membrane
Structure: Cell Membrane
 Functions of cell membrane
 Acts as semi permeable barrier (selective)
 Maintains difference in composition of ICF & ECF &
fluid in various organelles
 Protects cell from toxic substances
 Excretion of waste products
 Transport of nutrients
 Receives signals from the outside
 Chemical signals
 Electrical signals
 Site for attachment to the neighboring cells
 Functions of cell membrane
 Forms a boundary between inside and outside of the
cell
 Controls passage of materials
 Water
 Glucose
 Nutrients
 Protects and supports the cell
 Transmits chemical signals across cell
 Characteristics of Cell Membrane
 The cell membrane is selectively permeable
 Some molecules can cross the membrane while others
cannot
 Transport through cell membrane
 There are 4 basic mechanisms:

 DIFFUSION and FACILITATED DIFFUSION

 OSMOSIS

 ACTIVE TRANSPORT

 BULK TRANSPORT
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 Transport across cell membrane
Transport Mechanisms

Passive Active
Simple diffusion Primary active
transport
Facilitated diffusion
Secondary active
Filtration transport
Osmosis Endo/Exocytosis
 Methods of transport
Passive Active

Diffusion Osmosis Filtration

Simple facilitated

Lipid bilayer

Protein Leaky channels

channels voltage gated
Gated channels
Ligand gated
 Osmosis and Diffusion
Passive transport does not require energy input from
cell.
 Molecules can move across cell membrane through
passive transport.
 There are two types of passive transport:
 Diffusion
 Osmosis
 Diffusion and osmosis are types of passive transport
 Molecules diffuse down a concentration gradient
 Cell Transport Diffusion
 Movement of molecules,
other than water, from
an area of HIGH
concentration to an area
of LOW concentration

 No ATP energy is used MEMBRANE

 Simple Diffusion
Diffusion is a PASSIVE process which means no energy is used to make the molecules
move, they have a natural kinetic energy.

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 Molecules that diffuse through cell membranes
1. Oxygen – Non-polar
so diffuses very
quickly.

2. Carbon dioxide –
Polar but very small
so diffuses quickly.
3. Water – Polar but
also very small so
diffuses quickly.
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 Facilitated Diffusion
 Some molecules cannot easily
diffuse across the cell
membrane
 Substances that are not soluble
in lipids, like glucose and
amino acids, must have help
getting across the membrane.
 Facilitated diffusion is
diffusion through transport
proteins
 Does not require energy Transport protein
 Facilitated diffusion
- for larger water soluble mols.
- type of passive transport
- along the conc. Gradient
- carrier mediated transport
- receptor site on one side
Mechanism
 Facilitated diffusion
 Large polar molecules such as
glucose and amino acids, cannot
diffuse across the phospholipid
bilayer. Also ions such as Na+ or Cl-
cannot pass.

 These molecules pass through

protein channels instead. Diffusion
through these channels is called
FACILITATED DIFFUSION.

 Movement of molecules is still

PASSIVE just like ordinary diffusion,
the only difference is, the molecules
go through a protein channel instead
of passing between the
phospholipids. 17
Facilitated diffusion

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 Factors affecting rate of diffusion
• Lipid solubility
• Molecular size & wt. Molecular

• Temperature
• Thickness of membrane Membrane related
• Surface area
• Concentration gradient
• Pressure gradient Gradients

• Electrical gradient
 Fick’s law of diffusion –
ΔC∙P∙A
Q α ────
MW∙ ΔX

Q = net rate of diffusion

ΔC = conc. gradient of a substance
P = permeability of membrane to the sub.
A = surface area of a membrane
MW = molecular wt. of sub.
ΔX = thickness or distance
 Simple Diffusion Facilitated Diffusion
 Passive transport • Passive transport
 For small molecules • For large molecules
 No carrier required • Carrier mediated
• Initially rate is proportional
 Rate of transport is directly
to conc. gradient till Vmax
proportional to conc. gradient
( saturation of carriers)
 Examples –
• Examples –
Lipid soluble –
glucose, amino acids
O2, CO2, alcohol
Lipid insoluble –
urea, Na+, K+
 Cell Transport Osmosis
 Osmosis is the diffusion of water molecules across a
semipermeable membrane.

 Water molecules move from high to low

concentration.

 Example:
 Water moving from small intestine to the bloodstream
 Cell Transport Osmosis
 There are three types of solutions:
 Isotonic
 Hypertonic
 Hypotonic
Active Transport, Endocytosis, and
Exocytosis
 Cells also use energy to transport materials that cannot
diffuse across a membrane
 Filtration
Filtration is a process in which fluid along with
solutes passes through a membrane due to difference
in pressures on both sides.
e.g. Filtration at capillary
Capillary hydrostatic pressure – 28mm Hg
Interstitial fluid hydrostatic pressure - -2mm Hg
Colloidal osmotic pressure - 25mm Hg
Net Filtration pressure = 28 - (- 2 + 25) = 5 mm Hg
 Active transport
1) Carrier mediated transport
2) Rapid rate of transport
3) Transport takes place against electrochemical gradient ( uphill )
4) Expenditure of energy by transport protein which incorporates
ATPase activity
5) Carrier protein shows specificity, saturation
6) Competitive inhibition, blocking
7) Substances transported – Na+ , K+, H+, Cl -, I - , Glucose,
Amino acids
Active transport requires carrier protein/transporter

Types of transporters

Symport Antiport
Uniport transports two
transports two
carries only different
different
one substance substances in
substances in the
in a single opposite
same direction.
direction. E.g. directions Na+-
E.g. Na+-Glu
Ca++ pump Ca++ exchanger
pump
 Active transport
 Primary active transport
 Secondary active transport
 Endocytosis
 Pinocytosis
 Phagocytosis
 Exocytosis
 Primary active transport
• Examples –
• Na+ - K+ pump
• Ca++ pump
• H+-K+ pump
• Inner surface of carrier mol. has ATPase which is activated by
attachment of specific ions and causes hydrolysis of ATP
molecule
• Energy released from ATP causes conformational change in
the carrier which transports ions to the opposite side.
 a) Na+ -K + pump- electrogenic pump
- Attachment of 2K+ on outer side & 3 Na+ on inner side

Activation of ATPase
3Na+

Conformational change

Efflux of 3 Na+ & influx of 2K+

2K+
ATPaes Creates high K+ conc. & - vity inside the cell
Helps in maintaining cell volume
 Secondary active transport
• Active transport depending upon conc. gradient of Na+

from ECF to ICF created by utilization of energy

• carrier does not have ATPase activity

• Substance is transported along with Na+ (Na increases

affinity of carrier for glucose)

• Na+ is transported only when glucose mol. is attached

basal lumen
Na+
K+
Glucose

 Na + – K + pump on basal side

 Electrochemical gradient for Na + on luminal side
 Carrier mediated transport (SGLT-1)of Na+ along with glucose ( or
amino acid ) through the apical membrane

 Transport of glucose by facilitated diffusion ( GLUT-2 )

through basal side
 Endocytosis
3 types

pinocytosis phagocytosis
Specialized
All cells
Receptor mediated cells
endocytosis
Requires ATPase, Ca, microfilaments
 Pinocytosis

ECF
ECF
dynamin

Membrane deforming coat

protein

Endocytic vesicle
 Receptor mediated endocytosis
• Highly selective process to import imp. specific large
molecules.
• Requires energy & Ca++.
• e.g. endocytosis of low density lipoproteins
• e.g. endocytosis of viruses such as hepatitis, AIDS viruses &
excess iron
Coated pit

Clathrin, actin, myosin

 Phagocytosis

 Internalization of large multimolecular particles,

bacteria, dead tissues by specialized cells e.g.
certain types of WBC ( Professional phagocytes)

 The material makes contact with the cell membrane

which then invaginates.
 bacterium
Pseudopodia

internalization
Phagoso-some

Fusion
Residual body

absorption
digestion
Phagocytosis
 Endocytosis
 Process of taking material into the cell
 Phagocytosis is a type of Endocytosis.
 Cells require energy to transport material in endocytosis.
The cell membrane can also engulf structures that are much too
large to fit through the pores in the membrane proteins this
process is known as endocytosis.

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 Passive transport Active transport
 No expenditure of energy  Expenditure of energy mol.
molecules ( ATP )
 Takes place along conc.,  Can take place against
electrical, & pressure conc. Gradient
gradient  Carrier is always required
 Carrier may or may not be  Rate is proportional to
required availability of carrier &
 Rate is proportional to conc. energy. (Vmax)
difference
 Exocytosis
 Process of expelling materials from the cell
 Cell requires energy to transport materials in
endocytosis.
Vesicle-mediated transport
Vesicles and vacuoles that fuse with the cell membrane may be
utilized to release or transport chemicals out of the cell or to allow
them to enter a cell. Exocytosis is the term applied when transport is
out of the cell.

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