Cell membrane and

transport – 2
PIDC-DDS: Biochemistry
7 October 2022

Wong Gou Rean

Lecture Learning outcomes
At the end of the lectures, student should be able to:
• briefly describe the types of passive transport with examples.
• briefly describe the types of active transport with examples.
• briefly describe the transport of large molecules.
Metabolism occurs within cells

• Lipophilic molecules can pass through cell membranes

• Non-polar cores of membranes are impermeable to most ionic and
polar substances
• Many molecules transverse the membrane through specific transport
proteins
Classification of cell transport based on direction
• Uniport: single molecule at a time
• Glucose transporter
• Symport: 2 different molecules in same direction
• Sodium glucose co-transporters
• Antiport: 2 different molecules in opposite direction
• Sodium-potassium pump
Classification of cell transport based on requirement of energy
Passive Transport
• Membrane is selective permeability: can regulate molecule.
• No need energy: driving force is concentration gradients.
• Cannot regulate the direction.
Passive transport
• Passive/simple diffusion
• Pass through membrane down
their concentration gradient
• E.g Steroid hormones
• Facilitated diffusion through
channel/carrier
• Specific hydrophobic channel
• Non-specific
• Osmosis: aquaporin
Passive transport: Osmosis
• Osmosis (Greek: push)
• Net movement of water across a permeable membrane
• Water molecules move
• From low solute concentration to high solute concentration
• From high solvent concentration to low solvent concentration
• Ideal osmosis: involve water molecule only
• Rate depends on the concentration of solute
Normal concentration solution Low concentration solution High concentration solution
Active transport: pump/transporters
• Utilization of energy in the form of ATP (endergonic process)
• Protein transporters can harvest energy from ATP to open or close
channels
• Primary Active Transport
• Direct utilization of energy
• Secondary Active Transporter
• Indirect utilization of energy
Primary Active Transport

• Membrane potentials arise from

transmembrane concentration
differences.
• Maintain biology functions
• Electrochemistry signals
• Maintenance of electrical potential
across the membrane.
• H⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, Cl⁻ and Ca²⁺pumps
 Na+ - K+ ATPase (Pump) of Plasma Membrane

INTRACELLULAR

EXTRACELLUAR

*E1 & E2: two major conformational states

Secondary active transport: Na+ Glucose symport
Active transport: vesicle
• Transport via membrane
• Endocytosis
• Pinocytosis
• Phagocytosis
• Receptor Mediated
• Exocytosis
Endocytosis
• Cells internalize extracellular macromolecules to form endocytic
vesicles
• Require energy and Ca⁺ ions
• Cytoplasmic contractile elements involves
Phagocytosis
• Phagerin (Greek: eat)
• Engulfment of large particles
• Example: In human, engulfment of bacteria by macrophages and
granulocytes
• Cells extend pseudopodia and surround the particles to form
phagosomes
• Phagosomes eventually fuse with lysosomes to form phagolysosomes
Pinocytosis
• ‘drinking by the cell’
• non-specific, contains many solutes
• Primary for absorption of fat droplets
• Eventually fuse with lysosomes
• E.g cell lining of the small intestine
Receptor-mediated endocytosis
• Selective pinocytosis
• Example: intake of LDL
1. LDL receptors on
surface of cell
membrane
2. Formation of coated pit
3. Coated vesicle
4. Endosome
Exocytosis
• Example: secretory vesicles
• Move towards and fuse with
plasma membrane upon
stimulation
• E.g release of insulin by beta cell
of Langerhans
Summary
• Classification based on direction of cell transport
• Classification based on requirements of energy
• Examples
Phagocytosis
• Amoeba eats paramecia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvOz4V699gk
References
• Berg et al. (2019), Biochemistry, Macmillan International Higher
Education
• D. Voet & J. Voet (2011), Biochemistry, John Wiley & Son Inc.
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