Chapter 4.

Membrane transport
Membrane transport

• All our cells are bathed in a liquid called

extracellular fluid (ECF) or interstitial fluid. The
cytoplasm inside the cell is intracellular fluid
(ICF). Both these fluids contain many chemical
substances dissolved or suspended in water.
Passage of these materials take place through
the cell membrane in both directions. There are
different mechanisms for the movement of these
molecules across the plasma membrane.
Cell membrane functions

• Extracellular fluid contains a large amount of

sodium.
• The intracellular fluid contains a large amount of
potassium, phosphates and proteins. These
differences are important to the life of the cell.
• The plasma membrane, the bilipid layer with
protein molecules is semi permeable.
• Most of these proteins are transport proteins.
Channel proteins
• Some have watery spaces through the molecule
and allow free movement of water and selected
Ions or molecules and are called channel
proteins.
• The protein channels have two important
characteristics.
• 1)They are selectively permeable to certain
substances.
• 2) Many of the channels can be opened or
closed by gates.
• Channel proteins
• Cell membrane showing channel proteins
• Channel proteins
Channel proteins
• Gating controls ion-permeability of the
channels.
• Gates are actual gate like extensions of the
transport protein molecule which can close or
open the channel by a conformational change
in the shape of the protein molecule itself. The
opening and closing of gates are controlled in
two ways.
1. Voltage gating, due to the electrical
potential across the cell membrane.
Chemical gating
2. Chemical gating (Ligand gating.)
It is due to the binding of a chemical
substance (ligand) either hormones or
neurotransmitter, with the protein which causes
a conformational change in the protein molecule
that opens or closes the gate.
e.g. Acetylcholine in acetylcholine channels, and
it is important for the transmission of nerve
signals from one nerve cell to another and from
nerve cell to muscle cells.
• Ligand gating
Carrier proteins

• Some other proteins bind with molecules

or ions that are to be transported ,then
conformational changes in the shape takes
place and move the substance to the
other side of the membrane. They are
called carrier proteins. Glucose is an
important substance transported by carrier
proteins.
Diffusion
• Transport through the cell membrane takes place
by either diffusion(passive transport) or active
transport.
• Diffusion. The energy that causes diffusion is the
energy of the normal kinetic motion of matter. For
diffusion to take place, a concentration gradient is
required. It takes place from a region of higher
concentration to a region of lower concentration.
The continual movement of molecules among one
another in gases or liquids is diffusion.
Diffusion
• Diffusion through the cell membrane is of two
types.
• Simple diffusion and facilitated diffusion.
• In simple diffusion, molecules move through
intermolecular spaces without binding with
carrier proteins.
• Facilitated diffusion requires a carrier protein
with the molecules or ions. The carrier protein
binds chemically with the substance and shuttles
it through the membrane.
• Facilitated diffusion
Active transport.
• When a cell membrane moves molecules or ions
uphill against a concentration gradient or uphill
against an electrical gradient, the process is
called active transport. It takes place with the
help of carrier proteins.
• It is from a region of lower concentration to a
region of higher concentration. It is divided in to
two types according to the source of energy
used.Primary active transport and secondary
active transport.
Primary active transport

• In primary active transport ATP is used.

• In secondary active transport energy is
derived secondarily from the energy that
has been stored in the form of ionic
concentration differences between the two
sides of a membrane. In both cases
transport depends on carrier proteins that
penetrate through the membrane.
• Primary active transport
Primary active transport
• Substances transported by primary active
transport are Na+, K+, Ca2+ , H+, Cl- etc.
• Active transport mechanisms are known as
pumps. E.g. Na+ - K+ - pump, Ca 2+ - pump,
H+ - pump etc.
(Na+ -K+) pump pumps Na+ ions outward through
the cell membrane of all cells and at the same
time pumps K+ions from outside to the inside.
Sodium- potassium pump

Na+ - K+ pump is responsible for

maintaining Na+ - K+ concentration
differences across the cell membrane and
for establishing a negative electrical
voltage inside the cells.
Secondary active transport
• Co transport. When Na+ ions are transported out
of cells by primary active transport ,it will have a
high concentration outside the cell. This gradient
represents a store house of energy because
excess Na+ ions outside will be attempting to
diffuse to the interior.
• This diffusion energy of sodium can pull other
substances along with sodium through the cell
membrane. This process is called co-transport.
• Cotransport
• This is done by another carrier protein in
the cell membrane ,which serves as an
attachment point for both sodium and the
substance to be co-transported.
• Once they both are attached, a
conformational change occurs, and the
energy gradient of the sodium ions cause
both sodium ion and the other substance
to be transported together to the interior
of the cell. Glucose and amino acids are
co-transported in to the cells.
Counter transport
• In counter transport , sodium ions try to diffuse
in to the interior of the cell due to their large
concentration gradient.
• In counter transport, the substance to be
transported is inside the cell to be transported to
the outside.
• Sodium ion binds to the carrier protein, where it
projects through the exterior of the membrane
while the substance binds to the interior
projection of the carrier protein.
In counter transport solutes
move in opposite directions
• Once both are bound , a conformational
change occurs, with the energy released
by the sodium ion, moving to the interior
causing the other substance to move to
the exterior.
Endocytosis

• Endocytosis is the transport of large molecules

or particles in a membrane bound vesicle
through the membrane from the outside to the
inside of a cell.
• It requires ATP and consists of phagocytosis and
pinocytosis.
• Phagocytosis is the process by which cells engulf
larger particles like bacteria and viruses. E.g.
Neutrophils.
Pinocytosis

• Pinocytosis occurs when cells engulf extracellular

fluids and dissolved materials. It occurs in
almost all cells.
• Exocytosis is the transport of large molecules or
particles in a vesicle from the inside to the
outside of a cell. E.g. In endocrine glands
hormones found in vesicles, move to the plasma
membrane and burst to release the contents to
the ECF.
• Endocytosis and exocytosis
Osmosis

• Osmosis is the movement of water molecules

from a region of its higher concentration to a
region of its lower concentration through a
semipermeable membrane until both solutions
are having the same osmotic concentration.
• Osmosis helps to regulate the concentration of
ECF , same as that of ICF.
• When the concentrations of both ECF and ICF
are the same it is said to be isotonic.
osmosis
If a cell is kept in hypertonic solution, (higher
solute concentration than the cytoplasm) water
will move out of the cell and it will shrink and
get damaged.
If the cell is kept in hypotonic solution (lower
solute concentration than the cytoplasm), water
will enter in to the cell by osmosis and it will
swell and burst.
Osmotic pressure plays an important role in the
filtering of blood in kidneys.