Cellular Transport Unit

Passive Transport =
movement of substances
across the cell membrane
without any input of
energy by the cell
Passive Transport
Types
1) Diffusion = movement of
molecules from high to low [
] (concentration)
- driven by the
concentration gradient
- spreads out evenly till
dynamic equilibrium is
reached
Diffusion
2) Osmosis = diffusion of water
A solution may be one of the
following: (compared to a cell)
- isotonic solution: same [ ] of
water and solute
- hypotonic solution: lower [ ]
of solute, a lot of water
- hypertonic solution: higher [
] of solute, less water
Isotonic Solution (Red
Blood Cells)
A solution is
isotonic to a cell
if it has the same
concentration of
solutes as the
cell. Equal
amounts of
water enter and
exit the cell, so
its size stays
constant.
Hypotonic Solution (Red
Blood Cells)
A hypotonic
solution has
fewer solutes
than a cell.
Overall, more
water enters a
cell in a
hypotonic
solution, causing
the cell to expand
and even burst.
Hypertonic Solution (Red
Blood Cells)
A hypertonic
solution has more
solutes than a
cell. Overall,
more water
exits a cell in a
hypertonic
solution, causing
the cell to shrivel
and even die
Direction of Osmosis
Outside the Cell Inside the Cell Net Movement of
Water
Isotonic Isotonic None
Hypotonic Hypertonic Inside the Cell
Hypertonic Hypotonic Outside the Cell

** If the solution outside the cell is

hypotonic, then inside the cell is
hypertonic and vice versa
** Water tends to diffuse from
hypotonic to hypertonic
- Plasmolysis = cells shrink
when turgor pressure is lost
- the reason plants wilt
- Cytolysis = cell bursts due
to water entering the cell
3) Facilitated Diffusion
= move molecules across
the cell membrane through
carrier/transport proteins
- are specific for the type
of molecule they help
diffuse
Facilitated Diffusion (Open
Channels)
Facilitated Diffusion
(Proteins Change Shape)
Diffusion vs. Facilitated
Diffusion
Diffusion Facilitated Diffusion
Active Transport =
substances can cross
the cell membrane with
an input of energy
from the cell
Active Transport
1) Endocytosis = the process
by which cells ingest “stuff”
- vesicle holds the “stuff”
- two types:
1) pinocytosis - solutes and
fluids
2) phagocytosis - large particles
or whole cells
Endocytosis
2) Exocytosis = the
process by which cells
release “stuff”
- is essentially the reverse
of endocytosis
Exocytosis