Cell Membrane Physiology

Cell Membrane
 Gatekeeper
 “Selectively Permeable” – only some
things can get in or out
Passive Transport
 NO ENERGY REQUIRED !!!!

 Diffusion
 Movement from HIGH concentration to

LOW concentration until equilibrium is

reached
 Must be SMALL enough to fit through

pores (holes)
 Must DISSOLVE in FAT

 Examples – oxygen, Carbon dioxide

III. Passive Transport
A. Diffusion
Facilitated Diffusion
 Molecules are too big or don’t dissolve
in fat
 Molecules use a PROTEIN channel in
the membrane
 Still moves HIGH to LOW concentration
B. Facilitated Diffusion
OSMOSIS
 Facilitated Diffusion of WATER ONLY!
Active Transport
 ENERGY REQUIRED !!!

 Solute-pumping
 BIG THINGS or movement from

LOW to HIGH concentration

 ATP is used to activate a protein in

the membrane
 NO PUMP: NO TRANSPORT

(very specific)
IV. Active Transport
A. Solute-pumping
BULK TRANSPORT
 Exocytosis
 “Exiting the cell”

 Golgi packages the stuff into a sac

made of phospholipids
 Sac fuses with the membrane and

spills contents out

BULK TRANSPORT
 ENDOCYTOSIS
 “Into the cell”

 Pushes the membrane in, pinches

into a sac, lysosome opens the sac

B. Bulk Transport