Cell’s mechanism

in sensing
extracellular
environment
Stuti Maheshwari (2014B1A10422P)
Nirabhi Sharma (2014B3A10532P)

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Flow of substance across the cell
membrane
 Membrane is selectively permeable: allows
certain materials to cross through it to the inside
of the cell.
 Transport can be:
 ACTIVE: with energy
 PASSIVE: without energy

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Passive Transport
 Movement of materials WITHOUT energy
(ATP)!
 Move from high concentration to low
concentration
 Small molecules
 Uncharged molecules (do not have a + or -):
Water, Gases(Oxygen, Carbon Dioxide)
 Types of PASSIVE transport
 Diffusion
 Facilitated Diffusion
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 Osmosis
Diffusion
 Type of PASSIVE transport (no
energy)
 Movement of molecules across the
membrane down the concentration
gradient.
 High to a low concentration.
 “Spreading Out” of molecules
 Always trying to reach “equilibrium”
(molecules evenly spread out)
 Rate of diffusion is driven by kinetic
energy
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Osmosis
 Type of PASSIVE transport (no energy)
 The diffusion of WATER molecules
across amembrane.
 Movement of water from area of high
water concentration to an area of low
water concentration.
 Always trying to reach “equilibrium”
(molecules evenly spread out)

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Facilitated Diffusion
 Type of PASSIVE transport(no
energy)
 Diffusion of a substance across the
membrane with the help of a
protein embedded in a membrane.
 Movement is assisted
 Still moving molecules from
high to low

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Active Transport
 REQUIRES ATP!!! (energy)
 Takes work from cell’s mitochondria
• Movement of molecules across the
membrane against (up) the
concentration gradient
 very LARGE molecules
 Charged molecules (ions):
 From LOW to HIGH concentration
 Types of Active
 Pumps (proteins)
 Endocytosis 8

 Exocytosis
Sodium Potassium (Ion)
Pump
 Type of active transport
 This is where the concentration is moving “low
to high concentration”
 Uses proteins in membrane to “pump” ions
against concentration gradient
 Ions are elements with a charge ( + or - )

3 Na+ moved out of the cell and 2 K+ into the

cell
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Coupled Transport

Type of active transport

Uses the energy released when
a molecule moves by diffusion
to supply energy to active
transport of a different
molecule
 Glucose-Na+ symporter
captures the energy from Na+
diffusion to move glucose
against a concentration
gradient 10
Endocytosis

 Type of active
transport
 Movement of large
materials into the
cell.
 Part of the cell
membrane wraps
around the particle
and engulfs it.

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Exocytosis
 Type of active transport
 Movement of large
materials out of the cell.
 Vesicles form around a
particle.
 The vesicles combine
with the cell membrane.
 The particle is expelled
from the cell.

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Group Translocation

 Chemically modifies molecule as it is brought into cell

 Best known system: transports a variety of sugars while
phosphorylating them using
 Phosphoenolpyruvate: sugar
 Phosphotransferase system (PTS)
 Phosphoenolpyruvate(PEP) as the phosphate donor

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Taxis

 A taxis or tactic response is the movement of a

whole organism or cell in the direction of a
stimulus
 Certain organisms may directly move away
from or towards a specific stimulus. They may
show positive(towards) or negative(away from)
taxis.
 Movement of an organism directly towards a
light source is described as positive phototaxis;
other taxes include chemotaxis, aerotaxis,
hydrotaxis, etc. 14
 Role of Cell Receptors in Cell
Signalling
 Importance of cell signalling
 Signal Transduction
 Kinds of extracellular molecules to send
signals: peptides, amino acids, nucleotides,
steroids, fatty acid derivatives.

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 Types of Signalling
 Public Style of Communication: Long range,
broadcasting the signal throughout the whole
body by secreting it into the bloodstream.(e.g.-
hormones)
 Less public: simple act as local mediators on
nearby cells.
 Messages across long distance, quick and
specific, messages not broadcasted widely.
 Cell-cell communication: most intimate and
short range of all.

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The same signal
molecule can induce
different responses in
different target cells.

A cell depends on
multi-
extracellular 18

signals
Receptors Relay Signals via
Intracellular Signalling
Pathways

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Types of Cell Surface
Receptors

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 Biofilms
 Important factors in biofilm formation
 Cell attachment
 Extracellular polysaccharides(EPS)
 Cell-cell communication(Quorum sensing)
 Cell attachment
 Cell surface hydrophobicity: bacterial attachment
to each other& to surfaces- interaction of
hydrophobic domains
 Extracellular filamentous appendages in biofilm
formation
 Flagella: transport, initial cell-surface interacions
 Pilli/fimbriae: adherence to bacterial cell and
inorganic particles
 Prostheca/ Stalks: attachment factors in microbes
 At the end is an adhesive disk ‘Holdfast’- 24
attachment to surfaces
 Quorum Sensing
 Type of regulatory process that ensures there is a
sufficient cell density before a specific product like an
extracellular enzyme or virulence protein is made.
 Quorum Sensing in gram negative(Acyl Homoserine
Molecule) and gram positive bacteria.

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 Gram Negative Bacteria:
 Signal Molecule is Acyl Homoserine.
 When this molecule reaches a threshold concentration, it binds and
activates a regulatory protein which the binds to a specific site on
DNA.
 This results in production of a specific quorum dependent molecule
as well as more enzyme to make Acyl Homoserine molecule.
 Gram Positive Bacteria:
 Precursor oligopeptide cleaved into functional signal molecules(10
to 20 amino acids).
 These molecules are actively transported out of the cell(through
transporter protein).
 When molecules reach a threshold concentration on the outside of
the cell, detected by a sensor protein on the surface of the cell.
 The sensor protein then gets phosphorylated on the inside of the cell
membrane.
 The phosphate triggers a response which results in the production of
the desired product(transcription followed by translation). 26
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References

 Eldon D. Enger, Frederick C. Ross and David B. Bailey,

Concepts in Biology, 13th Edition
 C. Starr, Biology: Concept and application, 6th Edition
 Eric J. Simon, Jean L. Dickey, Jane B. Reece, Kelly A.
Hogan: Essential Biology
 https://www.khanacademy.org/science/biology/bacteria
-archaea/prokaryote-metabolism-ecology/a/prokaryote-
interactions-ecology

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THANK YOU

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