Transport Across Cell Membrane

 Membrane transport system is the transport system by which various molecules enter and out of
the cell across the cell membrane.
 Membranes are selectively permeable
 All cells acquire the molecules and ions they need from their surrounding extracellular fluid.
 Molecules and ions move spontaneously down their concentration gradient (high to low
concentration) by diffusion
 Molecules can be moved against their concentration gradient, a process called active transport
which require the expenditure of oxygen.
 The lipid bilayer is permeable to water molecules and a few, other small, uncharged molecules
such as oxygen and carbon dioxide. The diffusion of water through the plasma membrane is
called osmosis.
 Lipid bilayers are not permeable to ions such as K+, Ca+, Na2+, Cl-, HCO3; small hydrophilic molecules
like glucose and macromolecules like proteins and RNA.

Passive transport
 It does not require cell energy to transport molecules
 Molecules are transported from its higher concentration to the
lower concentration until concentration gradient is diminished.
 It does not work against concentration gradient
 Simple diffusion
- Molecule simply diffuses through the pore of cell membrane
- Do not require transporter protein
- Movement of molecules is from higher concentration to lower
concentration
 Osmosis
- The movement of water across membrane
- Isotonic: water move equally in both direction in and out of the
cell
- Hypertonic: water moves out of the cell so the cell shrinks (plasmolysis), high solute; low
water
- Hypotonic: water moves inside the cell so the cell swells up (cytolysis), low solute; high
water
 Facilitated diffusion
- It requires transporter protein embedded in the plasma membrane for the process
- There transmembrane proteins form a water-filled channel through which the ion can pass
down its concentration gradient.
- The channels are selective- the structure of the protein admits only certain types of
molecules through
- Many large molecules, such as glucose are insoluble in lipids and too large to fit into the
porins, therefore it will bind with its specific carrier proteins, and the complex will then be
bonded to the receptor site and moved through the cellular membrane
- Channel proteins- forms a narrow pore through which ions can pass, serve as a gateway
through a membrane
- Ion-selective and may be gated to regulate the passage of
ions in response to certain stimuli
- Open channels- transmembrane proteins that form a
hydrophilic pore in the membrane allowing the charged ions
to flow in and out of the cell along their respective
concentration gradients
- Gated channels- more specific, open and close in response
to a specific stimulus, this stimulus can be either electrical
or chemical, meaning that a second substance binds to the
protein, opening the channel thus allowing the original
substance to flow through the channel. Ex) voltage-gated
and ligand gated
- Carrier proteins- carry specific molecule across the
membrane via a conformational change
- May move molecules against a concentration gradient in
the presence of ATP
- Will only bind a specific molecule via an attachment
- Have a much slower rate than channel proteins