TRANSPORT ACROSS THE

CELL MEMBRANE
 Membrane Transport
• Introduction
• Classification
• Mechanisms
• Applied Aspects
• Summary
 Classification
Transport Mechanisms

Passive Active Special

Primary Secondary Endocytosis Exocytosis

Simple Diffusion Sodium co-transport Pinocytosis

Facilitated Diffusion Sodium Counter transport Phagocytosis

Transport of Non - electrolytes

Diffusion – The net movement of a

substance from a region of high
concentration to a region of low
concentration (an ion / molecule)
In a single solution / across a
semipermeable membrane
Diffusion
Diffusion across a membrane
Factors affecting rate of diffusion
• Solute concentration gradient
• Membrane permeability to solute
• Molecular weight of diffusing
substance
• Diffusion distance
• Membrane surface area
• Simple diffusion – 2 types
a. For lipid soluble substances

b. For water – Aquaporins

Computerised 3 dimensional
reconstruction of these proteins have
demonstrated the actual tube shaped
channels from ECF to Intracellular end

Rate of diffusion ∞ lipid solubility

Water Channels
Aquaporin
 Protein Channels
Important features:
• Selectively permeable ∞ Diameter of mol.
Shape & Nature
of electric charge
inside channel
Opened and closed by Gates
Voltage gating
Ligand gating

Patch Clamp technique

Ion Channel
 Diffusion and Osmosis
Diffusion -the passive movement of
molecules from a higher to a lower
concentration until equilibrium is
reached.
Gases move through plasma
membranes by diffusion.

4-17
Process of diffusion

4-18
4-19
4-20
Gas exchange in lungs by diffusion

4-21
 Osmosis
Definition : The passive diffusion of water across a
membrane from a region of low solute concentration
to a region of high solute concentration (from high
water to low water concentration)

• Water is a unique solvent, stable molecule

• Osmotic equilibrium exists in all cell normally
• Factors controlling Movement of water into and out of
cell are :
Osmotic pressure
Tonicity of a solution
Oncotic / Colloid osmotic pressure
Osmosis
 Gibb’s Donnan Equilibrium
• Proteins – Large molecules, do not cross the cell
membrane, are anions (-ve)
• K+, Cl- -- major diffusible ions

• Protein attracts K+ into cell, increasing its

concentration in cell, again it diffuses along
concentration gradient but resisted by pull of proteins
• Cl- less attractive to proteins, conc. More on outside
• This reciprocal distribution of diffusible cations and
anions in electrochemical equilibrium is called Gibbs
Donnan Equilibrium
• Gibbs Donnan Equilibrium

• [K+]in X [Cl-]in = [K+]oX[Cl-]o

Transport Systems

• Uniport system
• Symport
• Antiport
• Co-transport
Uniport
Symport
Antiport
 Molecules which cannot pass freely through
the lipid bilayer do so with
• Facilitated diffusion &
• Active Transport

Features :
Specific binding
V max
Binding constant
Structurally competetive inhibitors block
the transport
 Facilitated diffusion

• Carrier protein
• Uniport system
• Can be saturated
• Passive - No metabolic energy is required
• Reversible process
• Net flux across membrane depends on
concentration gradient
 Mechanism
• Ping Pong mechanism
• Carrier protein has two principal conformations
• Pong state : Exposed to high concentration of
solute
• Solute molecule binds to specific site on carrier
protein
• Transport occurs when a conformational change
exposes the carrier to a lower concentration of
sloute – Ping State
 Regulation of facilitated
diffusion
By Hormones
• Change the no. of transporters available
Eg : Insulin increases glucose transport
in fat and muscle
Insulin increases A.A transport in liver
Growth hormone inc. A.A in all cells
Estrogen inc. A.A in uterus
Inhibitors of facilitated
diffusion
Poisions
• HgCl2
• Dinitroflurobenzene
• Cyanide
• Dinitrophenol
 Active Transport
• Against concentration / electrical
gradient
• Source of energy :
• Primary active transport : ATP
hydrolysis
• Secondary active transport
Active Transport
Electrogenic pump
Na+ – K +
Pump
Secondary active transport
Special Mechanisms
Endocytosis -Pinocytosis
Endocytosis-Phagocytosis
Exocytosis
 Applied Aspects
• Mutations – Membrane proteins
Eg : Achondroplasia
- Ion Channels
Eg : Channelopathies
Cystic fibrosis
(Cl- channel disorder affecting
lungs and pancreas)
• Autoantibodies to Acetylcholine
Eg : Myasthenia gravis
• Ischemia – affects integrity of ion channel
Summary