Activity for Cell Membrane

Prepared by: Mrs. IRISH UDTOHAN, MS

INTRODUCTION

The cell membrane is one of the major regions of the cell along with the cytoplasm and the nucleus. It
serves as the boundaries that divides the environment of inside the cell from what is outside. Its main
function is the cell’s transport mechanism of materials needed in and out of the cell. Composition of cell
membrane is the same with the other membrane systems of the cell to allow easy transport of materials
to other organelles or parts of the cell.

There are two types of transport mechanisms happening in cell membrane: passive or active transport
system. Passive transport mechanism is driven by the natural kinetic energy of molecules that moves
across the semi-permeable membrane while the active transport uses ATP to drive.

Objectives:
1. Be able to observe how molecules move across cell membrane through the simulation.
2. Be able to describe how transport happens in the cell membrane.

Procedures:

1. You will observe a simulation on how materials are transported in and out of the cell passing
through the membrane channels. Click this link https://bit.ly/3BGR6Of to bring you to the
simulation.
2. Please examine first the parts to click before doing anything. To facilitate here is the picture on
how it looks like.

Button that allows Outside the

you to deploy the membrane.
material outside the
cell or inside the cell.

Switch button to
open or close
Allows you to select gated channels.
which material you will
release into the area.
Inside the
membrane.

Different gated
Different leakage channels for
channels for specific specific materials
materials to be to be transported.
transported.

You can adjust the

speed of the transport
with this button.
3. Let us begin by selecting the blue diamond material on the top of the membrane. Click the red
button to release 5 blue diamonds.
4. Select the green leakage channel by clicking it and dragging it into the membrane. Observe what
happens with the blue diamond materials found outside the membrane. Then select the blue
leakage channel by clicking it and dragging it into the membrane. Observed what happens with
the blue diamond’s materials found outside the membrane. Answer the questions below:

Questions:

a. What have you observed when blue diamond materials were released outside the cell membrane?
How about when the green leakage channel was placed? How about when the blue leakage
channel was placed?

Answer: My observations indicate that the blue diamond particles keep bouncing
back and forth once they are introduced into the outside of the cell, making it difficult for the
blue diamond to penetrate through the cell membrane. When I placed the green leakage
channel which serves as the doorways, the blue diamond particles still didn’t pass through
the inside of the cell. On the other hand, when I placed the blue leakage channel into the cell
membrane the blue diamond particles were free to move from the area where they were
highly concentrated up above the membrane to where they are less concentrated below the
membrane. Thus, the blue diamond particles moved from an area of high concentration
(outside of the cell) to an area of low concentration (inside of the cell).

b. Why do you think these happens?

Answer: The blue diamond particle was set to move passively, which is why it
happened. In other words, the cell doesn't need to expend any energy to achieve this. It
simply has the proper gateway or channel proteins in place. The blue particles will therefore
travel from the area where it is highly concentrated to the area where it is less concentrated.

5. Click the reset button. This time release 10 green circle materials outside cell membrane by
clicking the red button on top. Release also 5 green circle materials inside the cell. Put a blue
leakage channel in the membrane. Then place a green leakage channel in the membrane. Observe
what happens and answer the questions below:

Questions:

c. How does the green circle materials behave in both sides before any of the leakage channel were
placed in the membrane?

Answer: The green circle particle continues to bounce back and forth while acting
passively on both sides. Again, since I didn't insert any gateway or channel proteins in the
cell membrane, it didn't pass through.
d. Describe what happened when the blue leakage channel was placed in the membrane? How about
when the green leakage channel was placed? Explain what this process is.
 Answer: When I placed the blue leakage channel in the membrane, the green
particle didn’t penetrate through since it was not the correct gateway or channel for it. On
the other hand, when I placed the green leakage channel, the green particle did pass
through. Thus, the membrane is selectively permeable. It only allows the green particles to
pass through the correct gateway or channel.

6. Click the restart button again. Release 5 green circles outside the membrane and release 10 green
circles inside the membrane. Place in the membrane a blue gated channel. Observe what
happens. Place in the membrane a green gated channel. Observe what happens. Click the switch
of blue gated channel. Observe what happens. Then click the green gated channel. Observe what
happens.

Questions:

e. Describe your observation when doing procedure number 6.

Answer: I've noticed that once the levels are balanced, the movement of the green
particles doesn't stop for the movement of the blue particles. This is because I opened up the
blue and green gate channel to let the blue and green particles travel from a low
concentration to a high concentration. The blue and green particles are traveling from the
inside of the cell to the outside through the membrane as they are in equilibrium. Thus, until
the dynamic equilibrium is reached the concentration will remain constant on both sides. The
particles will continue to move through the membrane.

f. How is this different with what happened when you did the procedure 5?

Answer: Procedures 5 and 6 are different from one other. because it does require
energy to push through the particles in step 5 (passive transport). In step 6, active transport
is accomplished by pushing through the particles with little energy.

g. Which among the scenario is considered as the active transport mechanism and which one is
considered as the passive transport mechanism? Explain your answer.

Answer: As moving against the concentration gradient requires energy, Procedure

6 is regarded as active transport. And since it doesn't take much energy to push through,
process 5 would be passive transport.

h. What kind of passive transport was exemplified in the scenario? What kind of active transport was
exemplified in the scenario?

Answer: The scenario served as an illustration of the passive transport method

known as "facilitated diffusion" since a helper protein was used to enable the substance
 move through. In order to move other substances against their own gradients, secondary
active transport makes advantage of the energy stored in these gradients.

Follow up questions:

1. How do you find the activity?

Answer: I find it fascinating how the cell membrane protects and separates
the cell from its environment by performing the activity. I also find it interesting
how the membranes must permit specific substances to enter and leave a cell while
preventing harmful material from entering and essential material from leaving.

2. By performing the activity what is the natural characteristic of the cell membrane have you
observe? Why is this natural characteristic very important to the cell and to the organisms?

Answer: Cells and organisms place a great deal of value on a cell

membrane's inherent properties because they shield the cell from its surroundings
by allowing some substances to pass through while blocking others. By doing so,
it stops dangerous materials from entering and necessary materials from exiting.
Therefore, if they were to lose this selectivity, the cell would be destroyed because
it would be unable to maintain itself.

CONCLUSION

Small-molecular-weight materials are moved through diffusion and passive types of transport.
When a chemical is equally dispersed throughout a system, it diffuses from areas of high
concentration to areas of low concentration. Each type of molecule diffuses according to its
own concentration gradient in mixtures of many substances. Concentration gradients, diffusing
particle size, and system temperature are just a few of the variables that might influence the
rate of diffusion. However, the plasma membrane mediates the passage of chemicals into and
out of cells in living systems. And protect the cell environment from dangerous substances to
easily pass through, while certain substances flow through the membrane with little difficulty,
others must enter exclusively through protein channels and carriers. Living organisms'
chemistry takes place in aqueous solutions, and maintaining the proper balance between those
solutions' concentrations is a constant challenge. Without membrane proteins, several
chemicals would diffuse slowly or with difficulty in living systems.