TRANSPORT

MECHANISMS
At the end of the class, you must know

1. Importance of cell membrane

2. Types of Transport mechanisms

 About Cell Membranes
1. All cells have a cell
membrane
2. Functions:
a. Controls what enters
and exits the cell to
maintain an internal
balance called
homeostasis
b. Provides protection
and support for the
cell
Structure of Cell membrane-
Franz

It is a double layer of
phospholipids – lipid
bilayer.
It is an elastic (7.5-10
nm)
It contains almost
proteins called
membrane proteins
About Cell Membranes (continued)
3. Structure of cell membrane

Lipid Bilayer -2 layers of

phospholipids (Gorter &
Grendel (1925)
a. Phosphate head is polar Phospholipid
(water loving)
b. Fatty acid tails non-polar
(water fearing)
c. Proteins embedded in
membrane Lipid Bilayer
Lipid bi-layer
 Polar heads Fluid
love water & Mosaic
dissolve. Model of
the cell
Non-polar tails membrane
hide from
water.
Carbohydrate cell
markers

Proteins
About Cell Membranes (continued)
 4. Cell membranes have pores (holes) in it

a. Selectively permeable: Allows some molecules

in and keeps other molecules out
b. The structure helps it be selective!

Pores
 Structure of the Cell Membrane
Outside of cell

Carbohydrate
Proteins chains
Lipid
Bilayer

Transport
Protein Phospholipids
Inside of cell
(cytoplasm)
 Membrane Proteins - ralph
Integral Proteins: (70% of Cell membrane proteins part
and parcel of membrane structure
Pumps: They transfer substances against
Concentration / Electrical gradients
Channel Proteins: Opened and closed by gates
Carrier Proteins: Involved in transport of substances
Enzyme Proteins: Takes place in membrane reaction
Receptor Proteins: They bear appropriate sites for
recognition of Specific Ligands.
 Functions of Cell Membrane:
Protective Function
Selective permeability
Absorptive function
Excretory function
Exchange of gases
Maintenance of shape and
size of the cell.
TRANSPORT
MECHANISMS
Transport – What it means?
 Its highly selective filter,
permits nutrients and
leaves the waste products
from the cell.
 Maintain Homeostasis.
 Makes Cytosol
environment to different
 Play an important role in
cell to cell communication.
 Its detects Chemical
messengers arriving at the
cell surface.
 Types of Cellular Transport
Weeee!!!
 Passive Transport
cell doesn’t use energy
1. Diffusion high
2. Facilitated Diffusion
3. Osmosis low

 Active Transport
This is
cell does use energy gonna be
hard work!!
1. Protein Pumps
high
2. Vesicular/Bulk Transport

low
Active transport Passive transport
Energy is utilised No Energy is utilised

Movement of ions takes place Movement of ions takes place

against concentration gradient favoring concentration gradient

Specific carrier is required No carrier is required

Cellular respiratory rate is No change

Enzymes are involved No Enzymes are involved

 Diffusion Across Membranes
 Simple Diffusion
 Lipophilic substances can enter cells easily
because they diffuse through the lipid portion
of the membrane
 Examples are fatty acids, steroids, alcohol, oxygen,
carbon dioxide, and urea,
 Channel-Mediated Diffusion
 Membrane channels are transmembrane
proteins
 Only 0.8 nm in diameter
 Used by ions, very small water-soluble
compounds
 Much more complex than simple diffusion
 Are there enough channels available?
 Size and charge of the ion affects which channels it
can pass through
Diffusion Through the Plasma
Membrane

Figure 3.7
 CMT: Facilitated Diffusion
 Glucose and amino acids are insoluble in lipids and too large
to fit through membrane channels
 Passive process, i.e. no ATP used
 Solute binds to receptor on carrier protein
 Latter changes shape then releases solute on other side of membrane
 Substance moved down its concentration gradient
Saturation of a Carrier Protein

1. When the
concentration of x
molecules outside
the cell is low, the
transport rate is
low because it is
limited by the
number of
molecules
available to be
transported.
Saturation of a Carrier Protein

2. When more
molecules are
present outside the
cell, as long as
enough carrier
proteins are
available, more
molecules can be
transported; thus,
the transport rate
increases.
Saturation of a Carrier Protein
3. The transport rate is
limited by the number of
carrier proteins and the
rate at which each
carrier protein can
transport solutes. When
the number of molecules
outside the cell is so
large that the carrier
proteins are all occupied,
the system is saturated,
and the transport rate
cannot increase.
 OSMOSIS
Osmosis is the process of moving water across a
semi permeable membrane towards ion or solute
rich region in a solution
 Tonicity
 Tonicity - ability of a solution to affect fluid volume
and pressure within a cell
 depends on concentration and permeability of solute
 Isotonic solution
 solution with the same solute concentration as that of the
cytosol; normal saline
 Hypotonic solution
 lower concentration of nonpermeating solutes than that of
the cytosol (high water concentration)
 cells absorb water, swell and may burst (lyse)
 Hypertonic solution
 has higher concentration of nonpermeating solutes than that
of the cytosol (low water concentration)
 cells lose water + shrivel (crenate)
 Osmosis and Cells
 Important because large volume changes caused
by water movement disrupt normal cell function
 Cell shrinkage or swelling
 Isotonic: cell neither shrinks nor swells

 Hypertonic: cell shrinks (crenation)

 Hypotonic: cell swells (lysis)

 Effects of Tonicity on RBCs

Hypotonic, isotonic and hypertonic solutions affect the fluid volume of a red blood
cell. Notice the crenated and swollen cells.
 VESICULAR TRANSPORT
It is the transport of membrane bounded
substances moving across plasma membrane
It is classified into:
1. Endocytosis 2. Exocytosis.
 Endocytosis
 It is a process by which the large number of particles
are taken with forming the vesicle into the cell

 It is classified into:
 1. Phagocytosis
 It is a process by which the large number of
particles are engulfed into the cell.
 2. Pinocytosis
 It is a process by which the large number of
particles which are soluble in water are taken into
the cell
Endocytosis
 Mechanism of Phagocytosis
The cell membrane invaginates
the material from ECF.

It is pinched off from the

membrane and takes the
material into ICF

The phagocytic cell such as a

macrophage may be attracted
to a particle like a bacteria or
virus by chemical attractant.
 Pinocytosis
 In the process of pinocytosis the cell membrane forms an
invagination.
 Whatever substance (Proteins) is found within the area of
invagination is brought into the cell.
 In general this material will be dissolved in water and
thus this process is also referred to as "cellular drinking"

 This is opposed to the ingestion

of large particle like bacteria or
other cells or cell debris.
 Exocytosis
Exocytosis is a process in which an
intracellular vesicle (membrane bounded
sphere) moves to the plasma membrane and
fused the substance into the Extra cellular
fluids
For example a few of the processes that use Exocytosis are:

1. Secretion of proteins like enzymes

and antibodies from cells.
2. Release of neurotransmitter from
presynaptic neurons
3. Acrosome reaction during fertilization
4. Recycling of plasma membrane
 Exocytosis
The opposite of endocytosis is exocytosis. Large molecules that are
manufactured in the cell are released through the cell membrane.
 BULK Transport
 The movement of large number of ions,
molecules or particles that are dissolved or
carried in a medium such as a fluid or air is called
bulk flow.

 Rate of Bulk transport is determined by the

differences in hydrostatic pressure or air
pressure.

Eg: 1. Flow of blood within the vessels.

2. Movement of air into and out of the lungs.
 What is active transport?
Active transport is the
transport of substances from
a region of lower
concentration to higher
concentration using energy,
usually in the form of ATP.
Examples: Na, K and Ca
active transport.
1.sodium-potassium
1. pump
2.Calcium pump
3.Potassium hydrogen pump
Active Transport
needed for,

1. Maintaining the
Chemical and Electrical
Charge at rest.

2. Intake of Substances
through gated Channels.

3. Collecting of ions with

more concentration.
 ACTIVE TRANSPORT - WHY ?

 Cells cannot rely solely on

passive movement of
substances across their
membranes.
 In many instances, it is
necessary to move
substances against their
electrical or chemical
gradient to maintain the
appropriate concentrations
inside of the cell or
organelle.
 Pumps involved in ACTIVE TRANSPORT

1.Sodium-potassium pump
Found in many cells
(John CarlO/ross)
2.Calcium pump –
Kurt/jertz
Found in membrane of
Sarcoplasmic reticulum

3.Potassium hydrogen
pump (Benj/aiky)
Found in Gastrointestine
cell membrane
Working of Na-K pump
1. The 3 Na₊ ions bind to cytoplasmic
high-affinity binding sites.
2. ATP is hydrolyzed, transferring a
phosphate group to the pump.
3. The pump conformation changes,
moving Na₊ ions to the extracellular side
of the membrane.
4. Na₊ ions dissociate, and 2 K₊ bind to
high affinity extracellular sites.
5. The bond linking phosphate to the
pump protein is hydrolyzed, releasing
inorganic phosphate.
6. The pump conformation changes,
moving K₊ ions to low affinity
cytoplasmic sites.
7. K₊ ions dissociate, and the pump is
ready for another cycle.
Monday, November 11, 2024
 Primary active transport

Primary active transport is

the transport of sustances
uphill using energy (ATP
(
hydrolysis)
It cause a conformational
change that results in the
transport of the molecule
through the protein.
Eg. Na+-K+ pump.