Biochemistry Lecture

Activity 3. Cells and Membrane Transport

I. Define the term or briefly describe the function of the organelle (10 points)

1. Prokaryotic cell
- A cell which lacks a genuine nucleus and other organelles due to the lack of an interior membrane.
Its purpose is to allow fast entry and diffusion of molecules and ions to other areas of the cell, along
with fast waste disposal from the cell. Furthermore, they are involved in a variety of metabolic
activities and aid in the recycling of nutrients by digesting dead organisms so that nutrients can be
reused.

2. Cell membrane
- It is a thin membrane that surrounds, protect, and organize every living cells. It created a barrier
between the cell's interior and exterior surroundings.

3. Chloroplast
- An organelle found in plants that lets the plant to capture the sun's energy. It is crucial in the
photosynthesis process, which is used to synthesize food.

4. Rough endoplasmic reticulum

- The RER is a network of flattened sacs that store ribosomes. Its purpose is to aid in the production
of proteins.

5. Mitochondria
- The powerhouse of the cell. It generates most of the chemical, ATP, needed for biochemical
reactions.

6. Ribosomes
- Ribosomes are made up of proteins and RNA. It is the site for protein production.

7. Nucleus
- The cell's most visible and biggest organelle. It retains all the information needed to recreate an
organism and contains genetic material.

8. Osmosis
- Solvent transport over a semi-permeable membrane that separates two solutions with different solute
concentrations. From a low-solute-concentration area to a high-solute-concentration area.

9. Active transport
- The energy-intensive movement of molecules through a cell membrane against an osmotic gradient.
Moving from a lower to a higher concentration.

10. Endocytosis
- It is when a foreign material is being engulfed by a cell in a vesicle.
II. Identify the transport process and briefly explain the mechanism (15 points)

a. Exocytosis – Transporting material trapped inside a secretory

vesicle by fusing the secretory vesicle with the cell membrane
and then releasing it outside of the cell membrane.

Osmosis – Water Facilitated diffusion – A Primary Active Transport – It

molecules diffuse from a
b.
low-concentration area to
a high-concentration area
through a semipermeable
membrane.
protein membrane is used is the use of ATP to transport
c. d. d a cell through the plasma
to transfer a chemical
across a plasma membrane from a low-
membrane. concentration location to a
high-concentration one.

Secondary Active
Transport –It is the
movement of a molecule
e. along an electrochemical f. Illustrate the process of g. Illustrate the process of
gradient formed by Primary osmosis endocytosis
Active Transport of a (use diagram of (use diagram of
chemical from a low to high lipid bilayer below) lipid bilayer below)
concentration location.

Substance

Water

References:
https://biologydictionary.net/prokaryotic-cell/
https://basicbiology.net/micro/cells/prokaryotic-cells
https://www.britannica.com/science/rough-endoplasmic-reticulum
https://www.genome.gov/genetics-glossary/Mitochondria
https://www.medicinenet.com/what_are_the_3_functions_of_the_nucleus/article.htm
McGraw Hill Access Science
Secondary Active Transport. 15 Aug. 2020, https://bio.libretexts.org/@go/page/13095.
Chen I, Lui F. Physiology, Active Transport. [Updated 2020 Sep 13]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL):
StatPearls Publishing; 2021 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK547718/
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Osmosis". Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Sep. 2019,
https://www.britannica.com/science/osmosis. Accessed 28 September 2021.
Morgan A. Exocytosis. Essays Biochem. 1995;30:77-95.
https://www.biologyonline.com/dictionary/facilitated-diffusion
Cooper GM. The Cell: A Molecular Approach. 2nd edition. Sunderland (MA): Sinauer Associates; 2000. Endocytosis.
Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK9831/