Topic 8 MEMBRANE TRANSPORT lectures 11 12 OBJECTIVES 1 Have a basic appreciation of the chemical characteristics of substances that impact their ability to travel across plasma membranes 2 Know the factors that regulate the rate of passive diffusion of non polar lipidsoluble and slightly polar but uncharged substances across the plasma membrane 3 Be able to differentiate the following terms isosmotic hyperosmotic hypo osmotic isotonic hypertonic and hypotonic 4 Be able to compare and contrast the processes of membrane transport by facilitated diffusion and active transport 5 Understand the basic types of bulk membrane transport Consider the structure of the plasma membrane fig 8 6 phospholipid bilayer with peripheral and integral proteins Substances that must traverse these membranes in and out of the cell 1 Water gases O2 CO2 inorganic ions Na K Cl Mg2 PO42 Ca2 HCO3 ammonia ammonium 2 small molecular weight organic molecules sugars amino acids small lipids and lipid precursors urea 3 large organic molecules proteins lipids and cell fragments Permeability defines how easily of molecule will pass through a substance Permeability of phospholipid bilayers 1 impermeable to charged substances inorganic ions charged organic molecules etc interior of membrane is very hydrophobic and resists penetration by charged atoms and molecules 2 permeable to lipid soluble non polar molecules permeability decreases as size of molecule increases here we mean molecular volume 3 also generally permeable to small slightly polar but uncharged molecules like water and dissolved gases O2 CO2 these molecules are literally small enough to pass beween phospholipid molecules 4 Impermeable to proteins NOTE water also passes through special protein complexes in cell membranes called AQUAPORINS 1 Passive Diffusion Membrane transport of small lipid soluble non polar molecules and small slightly polar but uncharged molecules like water and dissolved gases O2 CO2 is by a process known as passive diffusion transport passive diffusion the random movement of molecules from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration Fig 8 10 a concentration gradient exists concentration gradient difference in concentration between two areas or compartments In these examples the solutes diffuse downhill from an area of high concentration to an area of low concentration Eventually the concentrations on both sides become equal no concentration gradient exists and there is no net passive diffusion The rate of passive transport or diffusion J is given by the following equation J P x A x DC expressed where J rate of passive transport across the membrane as amount of material transported per unit time P permeability of the membrane for the diffusing molecule this is a property of the molecule lipid solubility and or molecular size A the surface area of the membrane DC concentration gradient the difference in concentration across the membrane Thus rates of passive transport are linearly related to P A and DC Passive transport of water Osmosis NOTE TEXT DEFINITIONS ON PAGE 146 FOR HYPO HYPER and ISOTONIC ARE INCORRECT Water flows osmotically from an area of high water concentration to an area of lower water concentration Water concentration is a function of the total solute concentration amount of dissolved materials The higher the solute concentration the lower the water concentration and vice versa isosmotic solutions which have the same total solute concentration hence same water concentration hyperosmotic a solution which has a higher total solute concentration lower water concentration than another solution hypo osmotic a solution which has a lower total solute concentration higher water concentration than another solution 2 fig 8 11 replace tonic with osmotic two compartments separated by a water permeable solute impermeable membrane water flows from the hypo osmotic solution to the hyperosmotic solution until the system reaches equilibrium At the point the solutions are isosmotic no water concentration gradient exists tonicity refers to how a solution influences the volume of a cell when it is placed in the solution fig 8 12 isotonic solution the cell neither shrinks nor swells 0 9 NaCl solution 0 9 g NaCl 99 1 ml water is called isotonic saline because red blood cells do not change volume when suspended in it hypotonic solution cell swells its volume increases due to water influx In animal cells this may lead to rupture or lysis of the cell In plants the cells become turgid due to the presence of the wall hypertonic solution cell shrinks due to water efflux loss Animal cells shrivel and plant cells undergo plasmolysis plasmolysis plasma membrane pulling away from cell wall In general all cells have specific ways in which they avoid large changes in cell volume Movement of highly polar charged atoms and small molecular organic moleculesdownhill movement with a concentration gradient facilitated diffusion passive diffusion of molecules through the plasma membrane as mediated by specific proteins known as transporters organic molecules or channels typically inorganic ions Fig 8 14 cartoon of a transporter channel substance cannot pass through apolar internal region of bilayer Transporter creates an alternative pathway which bypasses this region Transporters are typically very large complex integral proteins 1 transporters channels depend on an existing concentration gradient 2 transporters channnels can be saturated by the material that is being transported much like an enzyme becomes saturated with substrate This is due to the fact that there are a finite number of transporter channel molecules embedded in the membrane 3 organic molecule transporters are typically open for transport at all times 4 inorganic ion channels may be open at all times but many show the phenomenon of gating That is they open or close in response to specific chemical electrical and even mechanical stimuli 3 Comparison of facilitated diffusion vs passive diffusion Movement of highly polar charged atoms and small molecular organic molecules uphill movement against a concentration gradient Active transport the uphill membrane transport of substances from an area of lower concentration to an area of higher concentration 1 mediated by transport proteins which are integral proteins these proteins are often referred to as pumps 2 also show saturation 3 uphill transport which is thermodynamically unfavorable is coupled to some thermodynamically
View Full Document
Unlocking...