GENERAL BIOLOGY I

NAME: DATE:
GRADE & SECTION: TEACHER:

WEEK 6
CONCEPT NOTES 9
I. TOPIC: TRANSPORT MECHANISMS
II. LEARNING GOAL: The students should be able to:
a. relate the structure and composition of the cell membrane to its function,
b. explain transport mechanism in cell,
c. explain how tonicity affects osmosis, and
d. examine real-life scenarios and relate them to the processes of transport mechanisms.

III. CONCEPTS:

Plasma Membrane
Plasma membrane surrounds the cell and serves
as the boundary, separating a living cell from its
surroundings, and controls all inbound and
outbound traffic. It is selectively permeable,
allowing some substances to cross it more easily
than others.
Plasma membrane is primarily composed of
phospholipid bilayer. It also has proteins, lipids,
and some carbohydrates (figure 1)
The ability of phospholipids to form membranes
is inherent in their molecular structure. Figure 1
Phospholipids are amphipathic molecules
meaning, molecules containing hydrophobic and
hydrophilic regions. Because of this, phospholipid bilayer can exist as a stable boundary between two
aqueous compartments.

As a Fluid Mosaic Model

The membrane looks like a

mosaic of protein molecules
bobbing in a fluid bilayer of
phospholipids, that is why it is
described as a fluid mosaic
model (figure 2).

Proteins reside in the

phospholipid bilayer with
their hydrophilic regions
protruding, which maximizes
contact with water in the
cytosol and extracellular fluid,
while providing their
Figure 2
hydrophobic parts with a
nonaqueous environment.
Membrane Proteins and Their Functions Figure 3
6 Major Functions of Membrane proteins
(Figure 3)
a. Transport
b. Enzymatic activity
c. Signal transduction
d. Cell-cell recognition
e. Intercellular joining
f. Attachment to the
cytoskeleton and
extracellular matrix (ECM)

2 Types of Protein Membrane

1. Integral proteins penetrate the
hydrophobic interior of the lipid
bilayer. Transmembrane proteins
span through the membrane.
2. Peripheral proteins are loosely
bound to the surface of the
membrane.

Carbohydrates in Membrane for Cell-Cell Recognition

Cells recognize each other by

binding to surface molecules, often
containing carbohydrates on the
extracellular surface of the plasma
membrane (figure 4).

Carbohydrates in the membrane

may be covalently bonded to lipids
(forming glycolipids) or, more
commonly, to proteins (forming
glycoproteins).

Figure 4

Molecules and substances move in several ways that fall within two categories: passive transport and active
transport.
In passive transport, the heat energy of the cellular environment provides all the energy; hence, this is not
energy-costly to the cell.

Diffusion is a type of passive transport described as the natural tendency for molecules to move
constantly.
Figure 5
o Substances diffuse down their
concentration gradient, from
where it is more concentrated
to where it is less concentrated.
o Whether one or more solutes Figure
are involved, diffusion or 5
movement of solute will always
be down its concentration
gradient. (Figure 5)
o Net diffusion occurs when the
materials on one side of the
membrane have a different
concentration than materials on
the other side. This leads to a
dynamic equilibrium: The solute
molecules continue to cross the
membrane, but at roughly equal
rates in both directions.

Osmosis is a special type of diffusion specifically associated with the movement of water molecules.
Water diffuses across a membrane from the region of lower solute concentration to the region of
higher solute concentration until the solute concentration is equal on both sides. (Figure 6)

How does change in water and solute concentration affect cells?

 Osmoregulation is the control or regulation of solute and water concentration to maintain balance.

Water Balance of Cells Without Cell Walls

Figure 6

The behavior of a cell in a solution is influenced by both solute concentration and membrane permeability. Both
factors are considered in the concept of tonicity.

 Tonicity is the ability of a surrounding solution to cause a cell to gain or lose water. The tonicity of a
solution depends in part on its concentration of solutes that cannot cross the membrane
(nonpenetrating solutes) relative to that inside the cell. (Figure 7)
  Isotonic solution: The solute
concentration of the solution is
the same as inside the cell, and
so, no net water movement
across the plasma membrane.
 Hypertonic solution: The solute
concentration of the solution is
greater than that inside the cell;
thus, the cell loses water.
 Hypotonic solution: The solute
concentration of the solution is
less than that inside the cell, so,
the cell gains water.
Figure 7 Campbell 2017
Water Balance of Cells with Cell Walls
 In plants, cell walls help maintain water balance.
o A plant cell in a hypotonic solution swells until the wall opposes water uptake called turgor
pressure, and the cell becomes turgid (very firm), the healthy state for most plant cells.
o If a plant cell and its surroundings are isotonic, there is no net movement of water into the cell, so
the cell becomes flaccid (limp), and the plant may wilt.
o In a hypertonic environment, the plant cell loses water; eventually, the membrane pulls away from
the wall, resulting in a usually lethal effect called plasmolysis (wilt).

Facilitated Diffusion
Facilitated diffusion works when polar molecules and ions hindered by the lipid bilayer of the membrane
diffuse passively with the help of transport proteins that span the membrane (figure 8).

 Aquaporins are channels that transport water. They are always open and facilitate the massive
levels of diffusion of water (osmosis) that occur in plant cells and in animal cells such as red
blood cells.
Figure 8
 Channel proteins provide passage
that allow specific molecules or
ions to cross the membrane. They
work as gated channels through
the membrane that opens and
closes in response to ligand
binding, mechanical deformation,
or voltage. Collectively, channel
proteins can transport polar, bulky,
or charged molecules that cannot
diffuse through the membrane
down the electrochemical
gradient.

Subtypes of channel proteins are

voltage-gated, ligand-gated, and
mechanically gated.

 Carrier proteins are proteins that

bind the solute on one side of the
membrane and undergo a
conformational change to expose it
to the other side membrane. One
of
the subtypes of carrier proteins is uniporter, which transports one type of solute in one direction.
Active transport uses energy to move solutes against the concentration gradients or electrochemical
gradient. Active transport enables a cell to maintain internal concentrations of small solutes that differ from
concentration in its environment.

Active transport can be a primary active transport or a secondary active transport.

Primary Active Transport

In primary active transport, pump transport solutes up the concentration gradient or an electrochemical
gradient by direct use of ATP or light. Transport proteins involved for this are ATP-driven pumps like the
sodium-potassium pump, and light-driven pumps in plants.

The sodium-potassium pump directly uses ATP to transport Na and K. Here is how it works (figure 9).

Figure 9

Secondary Active Transport

Secondary active transport involves active transport of one substance, such as an ion, across the cell
membrane, establishing a concentration gradient. Then the diffusion of transported substance down its
concentration gradient provides the energy to transport a different substance.

Note: The H+/glucose transport is an example of secondary active transport, and of cotransport/symport as well.

Based on movement of materials, active transport can be a cotransport (through a symporter) or a counter
transport (through an antiporter).
 Symporter-transport protein that transports multiple cargo types in opposite directions.
 Antiporter-transport protein that transports multiple solute-types in opposite directions.
 Cotransport/Symport: Coupled Transport by a Membrane Protein
A solute that exists in different concentrations across a membrane can do work as it moves across that
membrane by diffusion down its concentration gradient. Here the diffusing substance moves in the
same direction as the transported substance (figure 10).

A carrier protein, such as this H+

/sucrose cotransporter in a plant cell,
can use the diffusion of H+ down its
electrochemical gradient into the cell
to drive the uptake of sucrose.

Although not technically part of the

cotransport process, an ATP-driven
proton pump concentrates H+ outside
the cell, resulting to H+ gradient and
potential energy that can be used for
active transport—of sucrose, in this
case. Thus, ATP hydrolysis indirectly
Figure 10
provides the energy necessary for
cotransport.

Countertransport
It is the movement of the diffusing substance in the opposite direction as the transported substance.
An example of this is the movement of sodium and potassium through the sodium-potassium pump.

Bulk Transport
The transport of large molecules, such as polysaccharides and proteins, across the membrane changes the
shape of the membrane which requires energy. Transport may occur through exocytosis or endocytosis.

Endocytosis is when the cell takes in molecules and particulate matter by forming new vesicles from the
plasma membrane. It is the reverse of exocytosis, involving different proteins.

There are 3 types of endocytosis (fig 11)

 Phagocytosis (“cellular eating”), the transported substance is solid.
 Pinocytosis (“cellular drinking”), the transported substance is liquid.
 Receptor-mediated endocytosis, the specialized type of pinocytosis that enables the cell to acquire bulk
quantities of specific substances, even
though those substances may not be
very concentrated in the extracellular
fluid.

Exocytosis is the exact opposite of

endocytosis. Here the transport
vesicles carrying the substance migrate
to the membrane, fuse with it, and
release the contents.

Reference: Person 2011, Campbell 2017, Essentials

of Anatomy and Physiology, McGraw Hill 2005
Figure Campbell
11 2017
 GENERAL BIOLOGY I
NAME: DATE:
GRADE & SECTION: TEACHER:

ACTIVITY 9

EXPERIMENT: OSMOSIS (50 points)

Objective: To demonstrate the phenomenon of osmosis in relation to different tonicity.

Materials:
 3 potato tubers
 Peeler
 Narrow-bodied knife
 Pins
 Sugar
 200 ml distilled water
 3 beaker or flat bottom bowls with wide opening

Method:
1. Peel the tubers and cut one end flat with the knife.
2. Using the knife, scoop out a cavity from the non-flat end of the tuber running almost up to the
bottom (Fig. 5).
3. Fill the cavities with the prepared solutions until the cavities are half filled.
a. 25% sugar solution (10 ml water + 1tsp sugar)
b. 70% sugar solution (10 ml water +2 Tbsp sugar)
c. Pure distilled water
4. Mark the level of the sugar solution and water in the cavities with pins (pin 1) see Fig 5.
5. Prepare the beakers/ bowls.
a. Label the beakers/bowl (A for25% sugar, B for 70% sugar, C for distilled water)
b. Fill them up with distilled water until half the beaker/ bowl.
6. Place the potatoes in their designated beaker/bowl (Fig 5).

7. After 30 minutes. Check the level of water inside the cavities, mark with pins (pin2), and measure
the distance between pin 1 and pin 2.
8. Note your observation and answer the questions below.

Observation:
 Set-up Observation/s after 30mins.
A: 25% sugar

B: 70% sugar

C: Distilled water

1. Was there a change in the level of water inside the tuber cavity?

2. Which tuber had the highest level of water inside the cavity? What does this prove?

3. Which tuber had the least water inside the cavity? What is the reason for this?

4. What conclusion can you draw from this experiment?

5. Give an example of a real-life situation where the knowledge that you have learned from this
experiment can be applied.
 GENERAL BIOLOGY 1
NAME: DATE:
GRADE & SECTION: TEACHER:

ASSESSMENT 3
TOPIC: TRANSPORT MECHANISM
DIRECTION: Read and analyze each question and circle the letter of the correct answer. (1point each)

1. Which of the following correctly describes the function of the cell membrane?
a. It regulates the movement of materials into and out of the cell
b. It stores water, salt, proteins, and carbohydrates
c. It breaks down carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins from the food.
2. In diffusion, when the concentration of molecules on both sides of a membrane is the same, the
molecules will:
a. move across the membrane into the cell.
b. move across the membrane out of the cell
c. continues to move across the membrane in both direction
3. The process by which a vesicle is formed at the plasma membrane to bring substances into the cell
is called:
a. endocytosis b. plasmolysis c. exocytosis
4. Which of the following processes moves molecules using cellular
energy?
a. Diffusion b. facilitated diffusion c. pinocytosis
5. When an animal cell is put in a hypotonic environment, what would happen to the cell?
a. an animal cell will swell
b. an animal cell will shrink
c. an animal cell will remain unchanged
6. The figure below shows a beaker filled with solute and water. A membrane divides the beaker into
two. What conclusion can you draw from this?

a. There is a net movement of solute from the top to the

bottom of the beaker.
b. There is a net movement of solute from right to left.
c. There is a net movement of solute from left to right.

7. In which direction do particles in a solution move during

passive diffusion?
a. The direction of movement is always from left to right
b. From higher to lower concentration
c. From lower to higher concentration
8. Shaira placed a collection of red blood cells into a container filled with an unknown solution. Shaira
noticed that the red blood cells swelled and some even burst. What type of solution were the red
blood cells placed in?
a. An isotonic solution b. Hypotonic solution c. A hypertonic solution
9. Which of the following molecules crosses through a semipermeable membrane during the process
of osmosis?
a. Proteins b. Glucose c. Water
10. Some substances such as sugars, amino acids, and ions move across the cell membrane from an area of
high concentration to an area of low concentration using special proteins embedded in the membrane.
Which of the following terms applies to this type of cell transport?
a. Facilitated diffusion b. Osmosis c. Active transport
11. Which of the following substances is unable to diffuse passively across the plasma membrane?
a. Sodium, because ions have charge.
b. Oxygen, because of its polarity
c. Carbon dioxide, because of its large size molecules
 II. The diagram shows a schematic cell membrane in the cross section. Label the regions in the diagram by
writing the correct term from the following list. (5points).

 Integral Protein
 Peripheral Protein
 Polar phospholipid,
 Non-polar phospholipid,
 carbohydrate
 cholesterol

III. Essay
In the supermarket, lettuce and other produce are often sprayed with water. In 100-150 words, explain
why this makes vegetables crisp. (5 points).