The Cell as the

Fundamental Unit of Life:

Membrane Transport
Processes
Fluid mosaic model:
• Working model of the membrane
• Protein molecules bobbing in phospholipid sea
• Proteins determine membrane’s specific functions
Phospholipids
• Most abundant lipid Hydrophilic
head
• Polar/hydrophilic
head(attracted to water)
• Pair of
nonpolar/hydrophobic
Hydrophobic
tails(repelled by water) tails
 Polar heads, outside & inside
Nonpolar tails in the interior cell membranes
outside

Hydrophilic head

phospholipid
Hydrophobic tail

Hydrophilic head

inside
 Microvilli- intestinal cells

Membrane Junctions

Tight junctions Desmosomes Gap junctions

Selectively permeable- allows
certain substances to pass through
By 2 ways: active or passive
transport
Passive- downhill
Active- uphill (needs energy)
Passive: downhill reaction
• Simple diffusion
• Osmosis
• Facilitated diffusion
• Filtration

Active: uphill reaction, needs ATP

• Exocytosis
• Endocytosis
- Pinocytosis
- Phagocytosis
No Barrier:
• Substances “spread out”
• High concentration to low concentration

e.g.: Red dye placed in glass of water

Biological membrane:
• Substances diffuse
• High concentration to low
concentration
• Pores in membrane must be
large
• “Down the concentration
gradient”
• Dynamic equilibrium, equal rates
in both directions
Carrier proteins:
• Bind specific molecule
& change shape

• Pass molecule through

middle of protein
Osmosis- diffusion of a water through a semi-
permeable membrane

• Moves down concentration gradient

e.g., Two sugar solutions of

different concentrations
separated by porous membrane
which lets water through but not
sugar
What will happen?
• More concentrated to less concentrated

• Until concentration same on both sides: isotonic

Concentration of solute Concentration of
less: solution is solute greater:
hypotonic. solution is
hypertonic.
Animal cells
No cell walls

Isotonic environment:
Influx of water equals
the efflux of water
No change in cell
shape
Hypertonic solution:
Water leaves cell
Shriveled, or crenate

Hypotonic solution:
Water enters cell
Bursts, or lyses
Glomerular filtration
Passive Transport and Facilitated Diffusion

• Passive transport &

facilitated diffusion
do NOT require

ATP
 Active Transport

outside cell DOES require the input of

ATP

• Transport proteins
AGAINST
concentration
inside cell
gradient
ATP  ADP + Pi + Energy
 mucus

Goblet cell

http://www.1lecture.com/Physiology/Endocytosis%20and%20Exocytosis/index.html
 Membrane Permeability

• Cell membrane:
 selectively permeable

• 4 factors that determine permeability

1 lipid solubility

2 molecular size
3 polarity
4 charge
 Lipid solubility
• Most important factor
• Hydrophobic molecules
Passively diffuse
Hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide, & oxygen
 Molecular Size and Polarity
Molecular Size
Larger molecules, less permeable
Lower kinetic energy
Small pore sizes in the membrane
Polarity
Polar molecules hydrophilic, less permeable
Very small, polar uncharged
(water) molecules can diffuse

-
+
 Charge
• Charged molecules hydrophilic, less permeable
Surrounded by coat
of water (hydration shell), increases the
size
 INQUIRY

1. What is the main difference between active

transport and facilitate diffusion?
2. In osmosis, water moves from a xxxx solution
to a xxxx solution.
3. What happens to blood cells placed in pure
water?
4. Which portion of the phospholipid molecule
faces the environment outside of the cell?

5. The release of insulin from certain human

cells is an example of xxxx(endo, exo, phago,
pinocytosis).