Cellular Transport

PORTIA A. EGKEN, Ed.D

Learning Objectives:

A. Explain transport mechanisms in cells and

B. Differentiate exocytosis from endocytosis
 Terms to Know
Concentration – the amount of solute in a solution.
Solute – the dissolved substance in a solution.
Solution – a mixture in which two or more
substances are mixed evenly.
Concentration gradient - the gradual difference in
the concentration of solutes in a solution between
two regions.
Homeostasis – the self-regulating process by which an
organism can maintain internal stability while adjusting to
changing external conditions
Cell Membrane and Cell Wall:
• ALL cells have a cell membrane made of
proteins and lipids

protein
channel
Cell Layer 1

Membrane
Layer 2

lipid bilayer protein

• SOME cells have cell membranes and cell
walls – ex: plants, fungi and bacteria

Cell Membrane

Cell Wall
• Plant cells have a cell wall
made of cellulose – that
cellulose is fiber in our diet

• Bacteria and fungi also

have cell walls, but they
do not contain cellulose

• Cell membranes and cell

walls are porous allowing
water, carbon dioxide,
oxygen and nutrients to
pass through easily
 • Animations of Active
Types of Cellular Transport Transport & Passive
Transport
Weeee!!!
• Passive Transport
cell doesn’t use energy
1. Diffusion
high
2. Facilitated Diffusion
3. Osmosis
low
• Active Transport
cell does use energy This is
gonna be
1. Protein Pumps hard
2. Endocytosis high
work!!

3. Exocytosis

low
Different Transport Mechanism:

A. PASSIVE TRANSPORT
- movement of substances across
membranes without energy expenditure
1. Diffusion
- The net movement of substances from an
area of higher concentration to an area of
lower concentration, down the
concentration gradient
• Diffusion is spontaneous and proceeds even without
energy
• Some molecules maybe move against the gradient
and some maybe move down the gradient
• Diffusion is the movement of small particles across a
selectively permeable membrane like the cell membrane
until equilibrium is reached.

These particles move from an area of high concentration

to an area of low concentration.

outside of cell

inside of cell
 DIFFUSION

HIGH to LOW concentration

Example of Diffusion
• Osmosis is the diffusion of water molecules
across a selectively permeable membrane
like the cell membrane.

- It is the process where solvent molecules

like water move from a region of less
concentrated solution (hypotonic solution
to a region of more concentrated solution
(hypertonic).
• Osmosis is the diffusion of water through a selectively
permeable membrane like the cell membrane

Water diffuses across a membrane from an area of high

concentration to an area of low concentration.

Semi-permeable
membrane is
permeable to water,
but not to sugar
• In Hypotonic env’t where the solute conc. is lower than
that inside the cell
• Water enters, causing it to bulge or even burst.
(harmful to a living cell)
• In hypertonic env’t, where the solute conc. Is higher
than that inside the cell, water leaves the cell,
causing it to shrivel and die. (harmful to the living
cell)
• Cells survive in an isotonic env’t where solute
conc. is equal to that inside the cell.
• Ex. Marine organisms survive in seawater,
which is isotonic to them. But not in
freshwater which is hypotonic to them
• Similarly, freshwater organisms survive in a
freshwater habitat, which is isotonic to them,
but not in a sea water habitat.
Hypertonic Solutions: contain a high concentration of solute
relative to another solution (e.g. the cell's cytoplasm). When
a cell is placed in a hypertonic solution, the water diffuses
out of the cell, causing the cell to shrivel.

Hypotonic Solutions: contain a low concentration of solute

relative to another solution (e.g. the cell's cytoplasm). When
a cell is placed in a hypotonic solution, the water diffuses
into the cell, causing the cell to swell and possibly explode.

Isotonic Solutions: contain the same concentration of solute

as another solution (e.g. the cell's cytoplasm). When a cell is
placed in an isotonic solution, the water diffuses into and
out of the cell at the same rate. The fluid that surrounds the
body cells is isotonic.
 Practical Application

• Ex. fish is rubbed with salt to prolong its shelf

life.
• Fruits are dried with sugar (dried mangoes) or
caramelized (banana chips)

- Spoilage of microorganisms are destroyed and

killed by the addition of salt and sugar which
increase the solute conc. of their env’t.
• When cells with rigid cell walls are placed in a
hypertonic solution, water moves out, causing
the PM to pull away from the cell wall, and the
cell become wilted or plasmolyzed (Plasmolysis)
• Flaccid - they are not plump and swollen but
floppy or loose, and cells have drawn in and
pulled away from the cell wall.

• Turgid - swollen and hard. The pressure inside

the cell rises, eventually, the internal pressure
of the cell is so high that no more water can
enter the cell.
Facilitated Diffusion is the movement of
larger molecules like glucose through the cell
membrane – larger molecules must be
“helped”
- Water and certain hydrophilic solutes,
cross the membrane.

Two types of transport proteins

a. Channel proteins
b. Carrier proteins
Channel proteins
• open or close as they respond to stimuli.
• to transport the ions and water molecules
quickly through the membrane.
• important for maintaining homeostasis,
moving nutrients into the cell, controlling cell
signaling, and more.
Carrier proteins
• change in shape triggered by the binding and
release of a substance it transport.
 Function of Carrier Protein
• Within our own bodies, the action of all of our nerve
cells is powered by the sodium-potassium gradient that
is created by the sodium-potassium pump.
• Creating ion gradients which allow nerve cells to function
• Creating ion gradients which allow the mitochondria to
function
• Creating ion gradients which allow chloroplasts to
function in photosynthesis
• Transporting large molecules such as sugars and fats in
and out of cells
• Many other tasks not listed here
Active Transport
- Moving solutes across the membrane, up the
conc. gradient

- Requires the expenditure of energy through

the transport protein called carrier proteins.
- The terminal phosphate group of ATP
transfers to the transport protein. This
changes the shape of a transport protein to
enable the translocation of the solute
attached to its across the membrane
Ex: Body cells must pump carbon dioxide out
into the surrounding blood vessels to be
carried to the lungs for exhale. Blood vessels
are high in carbon dioxide compared to the
cells, so energy is required to move the carbon
dioxide across the cell membrane from LOW
to HIGH concentration.
outside of cell Carbon Dioxide molecules

inside of cell
ANALOGY:

ENERGY NEEDED:
Active Transport

NO ENERGY NEEDED:
Diffusion
Osmosis
Facilitated Diffusion
 BULK TRANSPORT
• Water and small solutes enter and
leave the cell through passive and
active diffusion.
• Large molecules such as proteins and
polysaccharides cross the membrane
in bulk through the processes of
exocytosis and endocytosis.
• Exocytosis- is the process of removing materials
from the cell through the vesicles that fuse with
the PM.

Food is moved into the

cell by Endocytosis

Wastes are moved out

of the cell by
Exocytosis
Endocytosis- is the reverse process of exocytosis wherein
cells engulf materials.
- A substance outside the cell is captured when the PM
merges with that substance and engulfs it.

Food is moved into the

cell by Endocytosis

Wastes are moved out

of the cell by
Exocytosis
ENDOCYTOSIS
1. Phagocytosis –
(cellular eating) is
the most common
form of endocytosis.
- It occurs when
undissolved
materials enters the
cell.
- The PM wraps
around the solid
material and engulfs
it.
2. Pinocytosis –
(cellular drinking)
occur when
dissolved substance
enter the cell.
- The PM wraps
around the solid
material and
forms a vesicle
that contains the
engulfed
materials
Ex: White Blood Cells, which are part of the immune
system, surround and engulf bacteria by endocytosis.
 Types of Active Transport

3. Exocytosis: Forces material Endocytosis & Exo

cytosis
out of cell in bulk animations

• membrane surrounding the

material fuses with cell
membrane
• Cell changes shape –
requires energy
• EX: Hormones or wastes
released from cell
END
Osmosis—Elodea Leaf
 Effects of Osmosis on Life
• Osmosis- diffusion of water through a selectively
permeable membrane
• Water is so small and there is so much of it the
cell can’t control it’s movement through the cell
membrane.
 • Osmosis Animations
for isotonic,
Hypotonic Solution hypertonic, and
hypotonic solutions

Hypotonic: The solution has a lower concentration of

solutes and a higher concentration of water than inside the
cell. (Low solute; High water)

Result: Water moves from the solution to inside the cell):

Cell Swells and bursts open (cytolysis)!
 • Osmosis Animations
for isotonic,
Hypertonic Solution hypertonic, and
hypotonic solutions

Hypertonic: The solution has a higher concentration of

solutes and a lower concentration of water than inside the
cell. (High solute; Low water)

shrinks

Result: Water moves from inside the cell into the solution:
Cell shrinks (Plasmolysis)!
 • Osmosis Animations
for isotonic,

Isotonic Solution hypertonic, and

hypotonic solutions

Isotonic: The concentration of solutes in the solution is

equal to the concentration of solutes inside the cell.

Result: Water moves equally in both directions and the cell

remains same size! (Dynamic Equilibrium)
What type of solution are these cells in?

A B C

Hypertonic Isotonic Hypotonic

 How Organisms Deal with • Paramecium (protist
) removing excess w
ater video
Osmotic Pressure
•Bacteria and plants have cell walls that prevent them from
over-expanding. In plants the pressure exerted on the cell wall
is called tugor pressure.
•A protist like paramecium has contractile vacuoles that
collect water flowing in and pump it out to prevent them from
over-expanding.
•Salt water fish pump salt out of their specialized gills so they
do not dehydrate.
•Animal cells are bathed in blood. Kidneys keep the blood
isotonic by remove excess salt and water.