TRANSPORT ACROSS THE CELL

MEMBRANE
 Transport across the cell membrane can be
classified as passive or active.
 Passive Transport does not require energy.
 Active Transport requires energy in the form of
adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to transport
substances across the cell.
PASSIVE TRANSPORT:
 Focus will be given to simple diffusion,
facilitated diffusion, and osmosis.
 Diffusion – molecules follow down the
concentration gradient. This means that
molecules move from an area of greater
concentration to an lesser concentration. This
process does not require ATP.
 Diffusion of materials across the cell is
influenced by molecules’ properties:
 SIZE
 POLARITY
 CHARGE
 SIZE:
- Small particles easily enter and exit the cell.
Oxygen and carbon dioxide molecules are small.
They easily move across the cell membrane.
 Polarity.
- Nonpolar substances dissolve in nonpolar
substances. Thus, hydrophobic nonpolar molecules
travel with relative ease because the lipid layer is
also nonpolar.
 Charge
- Charged particles of any size have difficulty in
crossing the cell membrane. Sodium and Potassium
ions are small but they are charged particles. Thus,
these two important ions cannot cross the cell
membrane by diffusion. They move in and out of
the cell by other means.
FACILITATED DIFFUSION
 Transport proteins are needed to move molecules
fro an area of greater concentration to an area of
lesser concentration.
 Sugar and Amino acids are transported toward
the cell via facilitated diffusion.
Transport proteins may come as carrier proteins
or channel proteins.
Carrier proteins – change their shape to transfer
molecules.
 Channel proteins
- Create a hydrophilic path through the bilayer.
Some channels are small, allowing ions to pass
though. Membrane proteins that allows ions to pass
are sometimes called Ion Channels.
 OSMOSIS
 Water molecules move from an area of higher
water concentration ( more water molecules) to
an area of lesser water concentration (fewer water
molecules). Osmosis is also sometimes called
diffusion of water.
The environment of the cell may be described as
isotonic, hypotonic, or hypertonic depending on
the concentration of the solute.
 Isotonic environment , the solute concentration is
equal to that of the cell.
 Hypotonic environment, the solute concentration
is lower than of the cell.
 Hypertonic environment , the solute
concentration is higher than that of the cell.
ACTIVE AND BULK TRANPORT
 Active transport , molecules from an area of low
concentration to an area of high concentration.
This kind of transport requires energy in the
process. Active transport allows the uptake of
nutrients from the external environment even if
there are higher amounts of these inside the cell.
Also, it allows secretion and wastes to exit the
cell even if the concentration outside is higher
than the concentration inside the cell.
 Bulk Transport, Large substances can be taken in
by the cell through a process called endocytosis.
 At the start of endocytosis, the molecules at the
exterior of the cell move close to the cell
membrane. Then, the portion of the cell
membrane progressively invaginates.
 Invagination is the inward folding of the
membrane. The portion of the cell membrane
eventually pinches off, forming the endocytic
vesicle which is covered by the endocytic
membrane.
 THREE BASIC TYPES OF ENDOCYTOSIS
 Phagocytosis – the cell, which s called a
phagocyte, engulfs large solid objects, which may
be in the form of large molecules or another type
of organism. This type is also called cell eating.
 Pinocytosis, the cell takes in small drops of
extracellular fluid from the environment. This is
also called as cell drinking.
 Receptor-mediated endocytosis, receptors are
found inn the pit coated with a protein called
Clathrin. The pit covers the molecules when the
receptors are triggered. Low density lipoprotein
is taken up by the cell through receptor mediated
endocytosis.
 Exocytosis - the release of substances from the
cell. Exocytosis can be described as the opposite
of endocytosis.